It’s almost Friday, so I’m going to throw a quick little pizza recipe at ya! BBQ Chicken Pizza is such a classic with its sweet, tangy, and salty BBQ sauce, bits of juicy chicken, creamy cheese, and savory onions. But, after making pizzas for a living for a couple of years, I learned that there are a so many other fun things you can throw on top of a BBQ Chicken Pizza! So keep reading to grab the “classic” recipe below, plus some of my other “fun” toppings that go really well with these BBQ flavors.
What Kind of Pizza Dough Should I Use?
You can literally use any type of pizza dough or crust you like for BBQ Chicken Pizza. I used my classic Homemade Pizza Dough, but it would also go well on a Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust, on French Bread, a baked tortilla, or your favorite store bought gluten-free or cauliflower crust. The toppings listed below will be enough for a 14-16″ pizza crust.
Can I Substitute the Chicken?
Sure! If you’re not into chicken, you can substitute a can of black beans (mixed with the spices and sauce listed for the chicken), or even shrimp.
If you like chicken, but don’t feel like cooking it from scratch, you can use pre-cooked chicken. If using a rotisserie chicken, simply chop it up and combine it with BBQ sauce. If you’re using canned chicken breast, just drain the chicken and gently fold with the BBQ sauce.
What is Your Favorite BBQ Sauce?
I’m not too picky with BBQ Sauce, but I do tend to like Sweet Baby Ray’s brand. Personally, I do prefer smoky BBQ sauces to some of the sweeter sauces. Today I had this Hickory Smoke BBQ Sauce from Kroger. I think it would be fun to try a spicier BBQ sauce, or even a pineapple flavored BBQ sauce.
What Else Can You Put on a BBQ Chicken Pizza?
Here’s where it gets fun. Here are some of the other toppings I’ve enjoyed on my BBQ Chicken Pizzas over the years:
- Bacon
- Pineapple (don’t @ me)
- Feta (surprisingly delicious against that sweet BBQ sauce)
- Green onion
- Cilantro
- Cheddar cheese
- Ranch dressing
- Corn
- Black Beans
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Servings 4 2 slices eachIngredients
Quick BBQ Chicken*
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about ⅔ lb.) ($3.22)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- ⅛ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ⅛ tsp pepper ($0.02)
- ½ Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce ($0.11)
Pizza
- 1 prepared pizza dough ($0.62)
- ½ cup BBQ sauce ($0.22)
- 4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded ($0.85)
- 1 jalapeño (optional), sliced ($0.15)
- ¼ cup sliced red onion ($0.11)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Season both sides of the chicken breast with the spices.
- Heat a skillet over medium. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the seasoned chicken breast and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF). Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board.
- Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes, then chop into small pieces. Add ¼ cup BBQ sauce to the chopped chicken, and stir to coat the chicken in the sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the prepared pizza dough or crust on a pizza pan, then spread about ½ cup BBQ sauce over the surface.
- Add the cheese, BBQ chicken, sliced jalapeños, and sliced onion to the pizza.
- Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza – Step by Step Photos
Combine ½ tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper. Season both sides of one boneless, skinless chicken breast (about ⅔ lb.) with the spice mix.
Heat ½ Tbsp cooking oil in a skillet over medium. Once hot, add the seasoned chicken, and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through (internal temperature of 165ºF). You could also opt to make a batch of Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and use some of that to top your pizza.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board. Let the chicken cool for a few minutes, then chop into small pieces. Add ¼ cup BBQ sauce and stir to coat the chicken in the sauce.
Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place a prepared pizza dough/crust on a pizza pan, then spread ½ cup BBQ sauce over the surface of the dough.
Top the pizza with 4 oz. shredded Monterey jack cheese and the chopped BBQ chicken.
Finally, add sliced red onion and one sliced jalapeño to the pizza.
Bake the BBQ Chicken Pizza in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden brown.
Slice into 8 pieces and enjoy!!
Added orange bell pepper and pineapple as well.. colorful and tasty!!
I make this recipe time and time again. Everytime I’m glad I made it instead of opting for takeout. So flavorful!
We just made this for supper. Easy Peary because we had the other half of a rotisserie chicken to use. My daughter added a green pepper too. So delicious. We also skipped the jalapeños.
This is so good!!!
I love the BBQ Chicken pizza from CPK and this recipe beats CPK hands down. It was delicious 😋Â
Looks great! Trying it tonight!
The first time I had BBQ chicken pizza, the pizza joint put toasted almond pieces on it. The crunch was a fun contrast with the chicken and cilantro.
I am in pizza heaven. This was the first pizza I’ve ever made and it was PERFECT. I used your regular homemade dough recipe and let it rise in the fridge overnight. It needed 12 minutes in my oven.
I beat down the chicken breast with a tenderizer first to get maximum surface area on my cast iron. I also used less BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup total on the pizza and the chicken. This cut back the calories a bit. Thank you!!
Oh yeah, sprinkle some cornmeal on the pizza tray before placing the dough!Â
Made it with your homemade pizza dough. First let me tell you that pizza dough is the best I ever made. Second,the chicken is sooo good,so tasty. Next time,i’ll double the chicken mix on the pizza. My family is not a fan of jalepenos, so I left it out. Gonna make that again for sure!
Looks delicious. Hear me out, try gouda for a BBQ chicken pizza. It’s amazing.
Awesome Recipe Thanks For Sharing It with us…
#teampineapple
Lovely–I’m using a little bit of pulled pork left over from earlier this week and some crumbled queso blanco along with the pepper jack in my fridge. Just as I was agonizing over what to do for lunch!
I literally JUST got home from CPK and shared a bbq chicken pizza with my son, but this looks so much better. Seriously!
BBQ Chicken Pizza is my go-to when my husband is traveling. I will admit that I am lazy and use pre-made naan bread from the grocery store as my crust.