BBQ Chicken Pizza

No need to go out when you can make this BBQ Chicken Pizza at home! A favorite from California Pizza Kitchen, you can now have this delicious pizza at home.

We are a pizza loving family! This BBQ Chicken Pizza is one of my favorites, but some other favorites are my White Pizza Recipe, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, and Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza.

I always have people assume that since I cook so often, that my children have grand palates and that they love everything I make.

That is simply not the truth. As much as I wish it were.

My kids are actually pretty picky. And there is not a lot that I make that all of them enjoy at the same time.

There is one thing, though, that they all love – pizza.

As much as I love a good pepperoni pizza, I like to switch it up. Which is why I have many pizza recipes here on Taste and Tell. But one of my favorites has got to be this BBQ Chicken Pizza.

This pizza recipe is loosely based on the BBQ Chicken Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. I would say it’s even better, plus it costs less, you know what is in it, and you can wear your pajamas for a pizza night at home!

Ingredients

• Chicken: I like to use chicken breast for this recipe, but you could use chicken thighs, as well.
• BBQ Sauce: Use a bbq sauce that you like, as the flavor is very prominent. I like Sweet Baby Ray’s, but any bbq sauce can be used.
• Olive Oil: This is just for cooking the chicken. Feel free to sub in any oil that you usually use.
• Pizza Dough: I use my homemade pizza dough. You can use a store bought dough, if desired.
• Cheese: For a true copycat recipe, you’ll use both mozzarella and smoked gouda. But you can always just use mozzarella if you can’t find gouda.
• Red Onion: The red onion really makes this pizza, in my opinion. But if you aren’t an onion fan, you can leave them off.
• Cilantro: The cilantro gets added after the pizza has baked. If you have people who don’t like cilantro, you can serve it on the side and people can sprinkle it onto their own pieces.

How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza

1. The first step is to marinate your chicken in half of the bbq sauce. You only need about 2 hours, although you can certainly let it marinate longer, if desired.
2. When you are ready to make the pizza, heat your oven. If you are using a pizza stone, let this preheat for at least 30 minutes.
3. While the oven is heating, cook the chicken in a saute pan with a little bit of olive oil.
4. Roll or stretch your dough to a circle.
5. Spread the remaining bbq sauce on the crust.
6. Add half of the mozzarella cheese and all of the gouda cheese to the crust.
7. Top this with the chicken, then the onions, and finally the remaining mozzarella cheese.
8. Bake the pizza until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is browned.
9. When finished, remove the pizza from the oven and top with the cilantro.

Tips and Tricks

• While you can always buy premade pizza dough, I always recommend making your own. My pizza dough recipe really is so good (just read some of the reviews!) and will really make a difference in your final pizza.
• If you’ve made my pizza dough, you know that I like to use parchment paper when I make pizza. It makes transferring the pizza to a pizza stone in the oven so much easier!
• If you are short on time, you can use precooked, shredded chicken and just mix it with the bbq sauce.
• If you can find smoked gouda, that flavor will be the closest to the pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. It is good with either regular or smoked (but I do prefer the smoked cheese!)
• CPK also has the option to add bacon, which I’ve never tried, but you really can’t go wrong with bacon, right?
• I store leftovers wrapped in foil in the refrigerator. You can reheat in the microwave, but I like to reheat my pizza on the stove.

More Pizza Recipes:

Teriyaki Chicken Pizza
Hawaiian Pizza
Sausage and Peppers Pizza
Antipasto Pizza
Clam Pizza with Bacon
Blue Cheese and Bacon Pizza
Egg Pizza with Creamed Spinach

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

5 from 4 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 38 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

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No need to go out when you can make this BBQ Chicken Pizza at home! A favorite from California Pizza Kitchen, you can now have this delicious pizza at home.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, about 8-10 oz cut into bite-sized pieces
• ▢ 1/2 cup bbq sauce
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 lb pizza dough
• ▢ 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 1/2 cup grated Gouda cheese
• ▢ 1/2 cup sliced red onion
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Instructions

• Place the chicken in a bowl and cover with the 1/4 cup of the bbq sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven and preheat the oven to 450º-500ºF for 30 minutes while you prepare the pizza.
• Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the marinated chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 7-8 minutes. Set aside.
• Roll or stretch your pizza dough into a circle about 14-16” in diameter. (See my pizza dough recipe for tips on preparing the dough.)
• Spread the remaining 1/4 cup of bbq sauce over the pizza dough. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over the top, followed by all of the gouda.
• Add the chicken over the cheese, then the onions. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and top with the cilantro. Slice and serve.

Recipe Notes:

Smoked gouda is preferred over regular gouda.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6 of recipe, Calories: 379kcal (19%), Carbohydrates: 44g (15%), Protein: 27g (54%), Fat: 10g (15%), Saturated Fat: 4g (25%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 49mg (16%), Sodium: 381mg (17%), Sugar: 9g (10%)

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