With BBQ sauce, goat cheese, chicken and gouda cheese, this BBQ chicken pizza is a unique twist on what is considered a classic pizza these days.
I love pizza so much, I could have it every single day - from Chicago-style deep dish pizza to buffalo chicken pizza to homemade pepperoni pizza to brie pizza.
Anyone that lived in the Longwood and Altamonte Springs areas in the 90's remembers Pebbles. Growing up in the Orlando area, it was rare to find a local restaurant. It was chain after chain after chain. Needless to say, they had a ton of great recipes including my all-time favorite pizza.
I know California Pizza Kitchen made the barbecue chicken pizza famous, but to me it doesn't hold a candles to Pebbles. I pretty much rotated between those two meals every time I went.
What makes this pizza unique is the base sauce is made of goat and cream cheese. It adds a tangy flavor that works well with the BBQ sauce.
So if you are looking for a different take on one of America's most popular pizza, I'd give this one a try.
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Ingredient Notes
- Pizza dough - while I like to make my own, store-bought dough works fine.
- Chicken - if you want an easy dinner, rotisserie chicken is the way to go.
- Goat cheese/cream cheese - the combination adds a tangy flavor and is a creamy base for the pizza.
- BBQ sauce - use your favorite sauce. Sweet Baby Ray's is my go-to.
- Cheese - gouda complements the BBQ sauce perfectly.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe, you can mix up the ingredients you use. Some variations include:
- While I like rotisserie chicken for its ease, you can cook your own chicken and shred.
- If you don't have red onions, white, yellow, shallots or sweet onions will work as well. They all high slightly different flavors.
- If you aren't a fan of the tanginess from goat cheese and cream cheese, try ricotta cheese.
- I like the traditional gouda cheese, but mozzarella, cheddar, fontina or havarti cheese all are good substitutes.
Step-by-Step Photos
Sprinkle some cornmeal on parchment paper and place the dough on it. Evenly spread the goat cheese and cream cheese on the dough.
Add an even layer of BBQ sauce on top before adding the cheese.
Add the chicken and onion before sprinkling some Emeril's Essence on top. Broil for 4-5 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.
FAQs
Of course not. I just like making pizza dough, but you can buy fresh pizza dough where you roll out yourself or pre-baked crusts.
I still suggest buying the fresh dough. Most grocery stores carry it these days, but Trader Joe’s has the best!
The stone holds heat and gives you a nice crust on the bottom which is important in a great pizza.
I know not everyone has a pizza stone. If you don't, use a cast iron skillet. Just place some oil in the skillet before adding the dough and toppings and bake on the bottom third of the rack instead.
Let's be honest, there isn't anything wrong with cold pizza. But if you must reheat this BBQ chicken pizza, don't do it in the microwave or it will get soggy.
Just place on a baking sheet in the oven at 375°F for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Take the time to make your own dough. My go-to is this no-knead pizza dough.
- If you don't want to use a store-bought BBQ sauce, homemade works fine.
- You can use rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own to save some time.
- Use a pizza stone so you can broil the pizza and get a nice crust, but bubbly top.
Other Pizza Recipes
If you’ve tried this BBQ chicken pizza recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
No Knead Pizza Dough
- 250 grams all-purpose flour (2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon dry active yeast
- ¾ cup warm water
Pizza
- ½ lb chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 oz goat cheese
- 2 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup bbq sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's)
- 8 oz gouda cheese, shredded
- ¼ cup red onion, julienned
- Emeril's Essence seasoning
- sprinkle of cornmeal
Instructions
No Knead Pizza Dough
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands. It should be sticky, but not lumpy.
- Cover with saran wrap and a towel in a warm place, allowing it to rise for 24 hours. Transfer to a floured surface and shape into ball. Use when ready.
Pizza
- Place pizza stone in oven 8" from the broiler element and preheat to 500°F. You want stone to be in oven for at least 30 minutes at 500°F.
- If using chicken breasts, heat medium skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to chicken and cook on skillet for 4 minutes on each side until completely cooked through and shred. If using rotisserie chicken, just shred and set aside.
- Sprinkle pizza peel with cornmeal or flour. Use your hands to gently tug, pull and push the dough to the shape you want and place on pizza peel.
- Combine goat cheese and cream cheese in heat safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Mix together. Spread evenly across the pizza dough, leaving an inch around the edges. Add a light layer of BBQ sauce and spread evenly on top of goat cheese mixture.
- Add the gouda cheese evenly on top of sauce. Spread the cooked chicken and julienned red onions throughout the pizza. Season the pizza with Emeril's Essence.
- Once stone is preheated, turn broiler to high. Transfer pizza to pizza stone and bake for 4-5 minutes or until top is bubbly and bottom is golden brown.
Notes
- Use Great Dough: While you can buy some dough from the store, I recommend making this no-knead pizza dough. You just make it the night before and light it rise for 24 hours before using.
- Spread Sauce Evenly: You will read a variety of opinions on sauce, but I'm a firm believer in lightly spreading the pizza sauce evenly. A sauce should compliment the pizza, but not be the star.
- Use a Pizza Stone: Place the pizza stone in the oven 8″ from the broiler element. Turn the oven to 500°F. You want to place the pizza stone in a cold oven, otherwise it could crack. The pizza stone holds heat which allows you to get a golden brown crust on the bottom.
- Broil Pizza: Leave the pizza stone in the oven once it reaches 500°F for at least 30 minutes, but preferably an hour. When you are ready to make the pizza turn the broiler on. Transfer the pizza to the stone and bake for 4-5 minutes or until the top is bubbly and the bottom is golden brown.
Selena says
It was our first time making pizza & it was delicious! We did the no knead pizza dough & used rotisserie chicken. I loved the goat cheese & barbecue flavors. My husband eats a lot, but since this is filling, he ate 4 slices, I ate 2, and we had 2 left for me to take to work. What a fun Valentine’s Day dinner! 💕
Ryan says
Glad you enjoyed it!