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.
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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