I’ll be honest – this recipe isn’t simple or quick, but it is certainly worth the extra effort. It’s fairly easy, it just requires a little extra time. I made the dough and grilled the chicken the night before, which saved time the following night when I made the pizza. The result is chewy, yet airy homemade crust with sweet-caramelized BBQ chicken and onions topped with earthy cilantro. It’s so heavenly.
Stretch the crust onto a lightly floured pizza peel and add the barbeque sauce.
Top with chicken and onions…
Now for the cheese…
Hot out of the oven…
Chewy and airy crust, golden brown toppings…yum!
Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza with Cilantro
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup, plus two tbsp. barbeque sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s)
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 small red onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp. cilantro
Directions:
- Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat.
- Season chicken thighs with pinches of salt and pepper.
- Grill chicken, covered, for 15 minutes, turning thighs over once halfway through.
- Lift cover and brush chicken on both sides with two tbsp. of barbeque sauce and grill uncovered for another 5 minutes, turning several times. Remove from grill and let cool.
- When chicken is cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Add flour, salt and yeast to a large bowl. Mix to evenly distribute all ingredients.
- Add water and mix using hands, until a rough ball forms. The dough will not be smooth and elastic like typical pizza dough. This is okay.
- Place dough in a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for at least 18 hours. *Note* After 24 hours, remove from bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, if not using immediately.
- When ready to make pizza, place pizza stone (if using) in oven and pre-heat to 450 degrees.
- Let about half of the dough come up to room temperature while oven is pre-heating. Refrigerate or freeze remaining dough for other pizzas.
- Chop reserved barbeque chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Stretch dough onto a lightly floured pizza peel or inverted baking sheet.
- Spread out 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce onto dough.
- Top with chicken, cheeses and sliced onions.
- Bake for 15 – 17 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Garnish with with cilantro. Let rest 3 – 5 minutes before slicing.
Tagged: barbeque chicken, barbeque sauce, cheddar, cilantro, homemade pizza, mozzarella, pizza, pizza dough, red onion
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