a la California Pizza Kitchen

Another hit from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Pizza night is always a fun night, but last night we went a different direction from our standards sausage and/or pepperoni pizzas. With a little help from The Pioneer Woman, we had BBQ Chicken Pizza a la California Pizza Kitchen. Very Good!

Start with your dough. My recipe is very easy and when divided makes two 12 inch pizzas. So, stretch out half the dough to just over a foot round.

Spread on a little of your favorite BBQ sauce. I used two that I blended together, Sylvia's and Carter Que. Perfect blend of tangy, sweet and spicy.

Top with diced chicken breast that was coated in BBQ sauce and baked in the oven for 20 minutes. Finely sliced red onion. I also added diced jalapeno for more heat and some tomato.

Of course, you need some mozzarella cheese. I used the pre-packaged shredded variety, but fresh mozzarella would be wonderful. Also, smoked mozzarella would be amazing in this application. I made two pizzas. One with the cheese on top and another with the cheese on the bottom. Makes no difference.

Fresh from the oven. Watch your oven for hot spots. Turn the pan 1/2 way through cooking if the crust on one side starts to get dark too soon.

Topped with chopped cilantro and sliced.


Here's one that had the cheese on the bottom. You can clearly see the toppings, but there is less of the dark, bubbly cheese. Whatever your preference.


BBQ Chicken Pizza
adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cups barbecue sauce
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ whole red onion, sliced very thin
½ cup diced ripe tomato
½ jalapeno, finely diced
Chopped cilantro, to taste

Fresh pizza dough; I used the recipe from my Deep Dish Pizza as it only requires one 30 minute rise and makes a nice sturdy crust.

Makes two 12 inch pizzas


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.

Divide pizza dough in half. Roll/stretch out two pizza crusts. Lay on two sheet pans drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on each pizza and spread it evenly. Top with half the mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the chicken, red onion, tomato and jalapeno.

Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately.