BBQ Chicken Pizza
On July 14, 2021 (Updated October 24, 2023)
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This BBQ Chicken Pizza is better than any pizza you’ll get at your local pizza joint. Homemade crust is piled high with cheese, grilled chicken, BBQ sauce, red onion, and fresh cilantro for a delicious and filling pizza made in your own backyard.
Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza
There’s something so perfect and delicious about a BBQ chicken pizza. It’s savory and filling and combines tons of tasty BBQ flavor all in one place.
Making your own pizza at home doesn’t have to be hard or overwhelming. It just takes a little bit of extra effort to make the dough and prep all the toppings. If you want to make things even easier, you can buy pre-made pizza dough or crust and add your toppings from there. Do what you gotta do to get this tasty pizza going! You won’t regret it.
BBQ Chicken Pizza Toppings
BBQ chicken pizza has some pretty classic toppings. No marinara or pepperoni here, folks! Keep it simple with cheese, chicken, sauce, and a few toppings.
- Fresh mozzarella. Every good pizza needs mozzarella. It’s a pizza must-have.
- Medium cheddar cheese. I like to add medium cheddar cheese to my BBQ chicken pizza for extra flavor and a killer cheese pull!
- Everything BBQ Sauce. This BBQ sauce is available for purchase in my store, but you can use your favorite BBQ sauce. It’ll also taste great with my Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce.
- Grilled chicken. I keep my chicken nice and simple and grill some boneless chicken breast with my tasty Sweet Rub. You can purchase this from my store or make your own using my recipe for Best Sweet Rub.
- Sliced red onion. Red onion is nice and sweet while still adding a slight bite to the pizza.
- Fresh cilantro. Finish the pizza with a nice sprinkling of cilantro. If you’re one of those folks who does not like the flavor of cilantro (where my “tastes like soap” folks at?), you can substitute this with parsley or basil.
As always, you can adjust this recipe to suit your tastes. Add or substitute any ingredient (except the sauce and chicken, those are must-haves) to make this pizza exactly how you want.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza
Once you have all your toppings assembled, you’re ready to make your pizza. Here’s how to do it:
- Make the dough. Scroll below for full details on how to make the dough. This dough is an easy yeast dough that needs to rise before you shape and cook it.
- Grill the chicken. Season the chicken breasts with Sweet Rub or salt and pepper. Preheat the grill for two-zone cooking (one direct-heat size and one indirect heat side). Grill the chicken over direct heat on your gas or charcoal grill until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- Cook the crust. Shape the dough and place it on your hot grill. Grill the dough with the lid open for 2-3 minutes or until the bottom is brown.
- Add the toppings. Flip the dough onto the indirect heat side of the grill while you add the toppings. Add all the toppings to your pizza, beginning with the BBQ sauce and finishing with a top layer of cheddar cheese and fresh cilantro.
- Dig in. Once the cheese is nice and melty, remove the pizza from the grill. Slice and enjoy!
More BBQ Pizza Recipes
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BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe
Skip the pizza joint this week and make your own delicious BBQ chicken pizza at home. With a little bit of time and a nice hot grill, you’ll be enjoying delicious pizza in no time.
Looking for an easier way to plan out your weekly meals? Download the Hey Grill Hey App for access to all my recipes with a handy shopping list and meal planner!
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Video
Ingredients
Pizza Crust
- 1 ⅔ cup warm water between 100-110 degrees F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast 1 packet
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
Grilled Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 Tablespoons Sweet Rub recipe in notes section
BBQ Chicken Pizza Toppings
- 24 ounces fresh mozzarella
- 16 ounces medium cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups Everything BBQ Sauce or your favorite BBQ sauce
- ½ cup red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Make the dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water and the yeast. Allow this mixture to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast has dissolved and started to bubble. Pour in the olive oil and salt. Using the dough hook of an electric mixer, mix on slow for 5-7 minutes, adding 1 cup of flour at a time, until the dough has a smooth surface and bounces back slowly when you press your finger into it.
- Allow the dough to rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 equal balls for individual pizzas or 4 balls for larger pizzas that will serve 2 people. I don't recommend making your dough balls any larger than this or they can be difficult to maneuver on the grill. Place the balls on a baking sheet that has been lightly oiled, cover with a damp towel, and let rise somewhere warm for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat the grill. Preheat your grill for two zone cooking. Allow the direct heat side to get very hot (above 500 degrees F is great)!
- Grill the chicken. Season the chicken breasts with Sweet Rub. Grill over direct heat until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (about 7-8 minutes per side). Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest for 4-5 minutes before slicing thinly.
- Prepare the toppings. Before you begin grilling pizzas, make sure you have all of your toppings in place. I like to use a large cutting board or baking sheet loaded with the shredded cheese, sliced chicken, sliced red onions, BBQ sauce, and cilantro.
- Shape the crust. Coat the palms of your hands lightly with olive oil and shape one of the risen dough balls into a disk. Slowly work your hands around the outside edges of the dough pulling and stretching gently. You want the dough to be an even thickness all around (don't worry about creating a "crust" around the outside edges).
- Cook the pizza dough. Place the stretched dough on the grill grates over the direct heat. Grill with the lid open for 2-3 minutes until the bottom is browned and bubbles are starting to rise on the top. Quickly flip the crust over onto the indirect side of the grill and start layering on your toppings. Start with the BBQ sauce, then the mozzarella, chicken, red onions, and cheddar cheese.
- Finish baking the pizza. Close the lid on the grill and cook for 4-5 more minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melty. Feel free to open the lid and rotate the pizza as needed to keep the crust cooking evenly on the bottom. If you like a super crispy crust, carefully slide the pizza over to the direct side of the grill for an additional minute.
- Slice and serve. Use a big spatula to transfer the pizza to a cutting board. Drizzle with additional BBQ sauce, if desired. Slice and serve! Repeat the pizza grilling process as desired with the additional dough balls.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
