BBQ Chicken Pizza

Name: BBQ Chicken Pizza
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 count Pizza dough balls (15 oz); 3 lb Cooked chicken breast, shredded; 2 cups BBQ sauce; 2 tsp Smoked paprika; 1 tsp Garlic powder; 1 tbsp Kosher salt; 1 tsp Black pepper; 20 oz Low-moisture mozzarella, shredded; 8 oz Smoked gouda, shredded; 2 large Red onion, thin sliced; 1 cup Fresh cilantro, chopped; 3 tbsp Olive oil; 0.5 cup Cornmeal

Sweet BBQ, red onion, cilantro

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 90 min
Serves 8
Difficulty: medium

Sweet BBQ, red onion, cilantro. Sized for a full crew, with timing that still works when the kitchen gets interrupted.

Why crews like it: A hall pick for regular dinner nights — one line, real portions, no drama at the stove.

1400Cal

93gProtein

143gCarbs

47gFat

Ingredients

4 count Pizza dough balls (15 oz)
3 lb Cooked chicken breast, shredded
2 cups BBQ sauce
2 tsp Smoked paprika
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Black pepper
20 oz Low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
8 oz Smoked gouda, shredded
2 large Red onion, thin sliced
1 cup Fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp Olive oil
0.5 cup Cornmeal

Instructions

Season and toss the chicken: Toss shredded chicken with half the BBQ sauce, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Taste — sauce should be bold because cheese mellows it. Keep remaining sauce for the line.
Heat oven and stone or steel: Place a pizza stone or inverted sheet pan in the oven. Preheat to 500°F at least 40 minutes. Shred cheese and slice red onion while the oven saturates — surface temp matters more than air temp.
Stretch dough and oil rims: On a floured surface, stretch each dough ball to a 12–14 inch round. Leave a ½ inch rim. Brush rims lightly with olive oil so edges brown. Work on parchment dusted with cornmeal so pies slide on the peel.
Sauce, cheese, chicken, onion: Spread a thin ring of BBQ sauce on each crust — less than tomato night; sweet sauce pools in the center. Layer mozzarella and gouda, then chicken and red onion. Do not overload wet chicken or the center sags.
Bake until edges char: Bake each pie 10–13 minutes until cheese bubbles with brown spots and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Rotate once for hot spots. Hold finished pies on racks, not stacked — steam kills crust.
Rest, cilantro, and cut: Rest 2 minutes so cheese sets. Drizzle remaining BBQ sauce in thin ribbons and scatter cilantro. Cut into 8 slices per pie and fan on sheet trays for eight hungry firefighters. Backup pie holds at 200°F uncovered up to 15 minutes.

Tonight's spread

Cut pies into hall slices (8 per pie minimum) and fan on sheet trays.
Keep a fresh pie warming in the oven — pizza dies fast on the counter.
Line up BBQ Chicken Pizza on the main counter with serving spoons — firefighters grab fast between calls.
Keep a backup tray warm in the oven at 200°F for late arrivals after a run.

Hall tips

Keep a backup tray warm in the oven for late calls — nothing worse than cold plates after a run.
Taste for salt at the end — hall palates run salty after long shifts.
Pull chicken at 160°F and let carryover hit 165°F — dry breast ruins crew morale.

Substitutions

Chicken thighs ↔ breasts (thighs forgive overcooking on the flat-top).

Leftovers

Cool leftovers in shallow containers within two hours — deep pots stay hot too long.
Label trays with date and reheat to 165°F minimum before second shift.

Pizza stone or steel
Peel or inverted sheet pan
Large sheet trays
Instant-read thermometer
Aluminum foil