Barbecue Chicken Pizza

In addition to making these incredible ice cream cookie sandwiches for Anne’s birthday a few weeks ago, I also made dinner.  This was the dinner Anne requested, probably because it’s one of the few recipes I’m qualified to make.  What I am about to say is kinda pathetic considering it was her birthday, but she did the hardest part by making the pizza crust—this garlic bread crust which she has made in the past.

This za is a good alternative to the usual tomato sauce variety.  I first consumed it at my brother and sister-in-law’s house several years ago, and, believe it or not, I actually made it on my own a few times thereafter.  I just used Boboli crusts, however, so this permutation is even better.  You can change the toppings, of course, but I believe the best combination is chicken, red onion, garlic, and cilantro.

By the way, did you know that barbecue is not spelled barbeque?  I just learned that from the squiggly red line on Blogger and confirmed it in the American Heritage Dictionary.  How come BBQ became the abbreviation?  It should be BBC.  I, for one, will be using BBC from now on.  If you're with me, send this link to all your friends and tweet out the good news.  (I would, but I don't have a Twitter account.) 

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

• Pizza bread crust (again, we made this garlic bread crust)
• 1-2 chicken breasts
• ½ cup barbecue sauce (we used Trader Joe’s Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce)
• ½ cup mozzarella, shredded
• ¼ cup smoked gouda, shredded
• 4-6 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 tsp crushed red pepper (if desired)
• 2-4 Tbsp fresh cilantro
• cornmeal, for sprinkling on pizza stone or baking sheet

1. Move oven rack to bottom shelf.  If using a pizza stone, put the stone on the bottom rack. 
2. Preheat oven to 425. 
3. Make pizza dough (can be made in advance and frozen or refrigerated; if frozen, put in fridge the day before making this pizza to thaw completely).
4. Cook 1-2 chicken breasts and cube (I like smaller bites of chicken).
5. Roll out dough.  Dust cornmeal on the preheated pizza stone and then place pizza dough on the stone(or baking sheet) for about 8 minutes.
6. While the dough is baking, mix cubed chicken breast in a bowl with barbecue sauce, diced red onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper.
7. Grate cheeses.
8. Once the dough is partially baked, top with a small amount of barbecue sauce.  Then add chicken mixture and top with cheese.
9. Continue to cook for 10-20 more minutes (depending on your toppings) until bottom is crispy and cheese is completely melted.
10. Add cilantro slightly before completion of cooking.
11. Remove pizza from oven and serve!