BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Crust:

1 package dry yeast (2 1/4 active dry yeast)

1/4 cup warm water

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup cold water

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for 10 minutes.  In mixingt bowl, combine flour, salt, olive oil, honey and cold water.  Add yeast mixture and knead with dough hook (or by hand) for 5 minutes.  Form into a ball and place in oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour.  

Roll the dough out onto a floured surface and roll to fit a large rimmed cookie sheet.  Baste about 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the pan before placing the dough on.  After you place the dough on the sheet, you may have to stretch is out a bit to fit.

Makes enough for two pizzas. 

Pizza:

1 pizza crust

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup barbecue sauce

Fresh mozzarella, sliced thin

1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced

Fresh cilantro

Olive oil

You can do the sauce a few different ways.  You can marinate the chicken in about a cup of barbecue sauce in a large zip lock bag for 4 hours or overnight and then bake it at 325 degrees for 30 minutes (in the sauce you marinated it with), or you can just skip marinating the chicken and cook it in the barbecue sauce.  I have made it both ways and they both turn out great.  Let the chicken cool, then slice into small pieces.

Spread 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil on the rolled out dough and then spread the barbecue sauce over that.  Place the sliced mozzarella all over the dough and then layer that with the chicken.  Add the thinly sliced red onion and bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Once the pizza is done, sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve.

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{cooks note}

After I slice the chicken, I add it all back to the barbecue sauce I cooked it in while I finish other preparations on the pizza.  That way, the sauce is able to soak into the chicken and make it even more moist.  You won't be sorry you did it.  I make a white dough for this pizza because I think it tastes better.  Making your own dough is well worth the little effort it takes rather than buying a store bought one.  Unless it's Trader Joe's dough.  Then you can't go wrong.

 Bake chicken at 325 for 30 minutes.  

 You want the chicken pieces to be bite size.

Pizza dough after it has risen.

I like to buy this mozzarella because it is in a log and very easy to slice thin.

Dough rolled to fit my cookie sheet.  Don't forget to spread about 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the pan before placing the dough on it.

Pizza ready to be baked.  Notice how there are no red onions.  Well, dinner time is hectic for me.  I 'm lucky we have dinner at all.  The red onions were forgotten and I'm sure they weren't missed by a few little guys. Before spreading on the barbecue sauce spread on 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil. 

"Leaves" as my youngest boy would call them.  I call it cilantro.  This makes the pizza.  I am currently growing this in my herb garden and I've already had one harvest.  That's what you call, cilantro at your fingertips.

Hot out of the oven.  

We have eaten this pizza a lot over the past years and love it every time.  You can't beat a good homemade pizza.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Mozzarella, Basil and Tomato

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

from my kitchen cafe

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Make the dough the night before or early on the morning you want to make the pizza.  In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the water, sugar, yeast, honey and oil.  (If using active dry yeast, increase the amount of yeast to 2 3/4 teaspoons and proof the yeast in the water until foamy before mixing in the sugar, honey and oil.)  Then mix in 1 cup flour and the salt.  Knead until dough is soft and smooth, about 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes using a stand mixer.

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl and cover tightly (with lid or saran wrap).  Place the dough in the refrigerator to slowly rise until three hours before baking.  Three hours before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, keeping it tightly covered.

Bake pizza on a preheated pizza stone or on a pan dusted with corn meal.

*For more ways to bake a pizza visit here.

Toppings

a cook next door creation

3 Roma tomatoes, sliced

1 package of fresh mozzarella, cut into slices

1 package fresh basil

3 teaspoons olive oil

grated parmesan

Fresh ground pepper

Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 475.  Once pizza dough is formed, place the dough on a preheated pizza stone or baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly dusted with corn meal.  Drizzle 2 teaspoons of olive oil directly on the dough and spread around evenly.  Add the mozzarella, tomato slices and basil.  Sprinkle grated parmesan over the tomatoes.  Drizzle 1 more teaspoon of olive oil over the top.  Bake in a preheated oven at 475 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  Just after you take the pizza out of the oven, top with basil (chiffonade) and freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt.  

Pizza Sauce

from my kitchen cafe

*Makes enough for 2 16-18 inch pizzas

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon garlic salt

pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency.  All the seasonings can be modified depending on taste - add what you like!

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{cooks note}

This pizza crust is hands down the best homemade pizza crust I have ever had.  It was the perfect blend of white flour verses whole wheat flour.  I didn't make my dough ahead of time and stick it in the fridge.  I made it and let it rise for about an hour in a warm spot.  I don't have a pizza stone, so I just used a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with corn meal.  I chose to cook my pizza at 475 degrees because I wasn't using a stone.  I love the way the pizza turned out and so did my family.  The boys shaped a couple of heart pizzas (with my help) and had a lot of fun adding their two toppings.  The pizza sauce is really simple to make and very good.  Using fresh ingredients for your toppings is the only way to go when making homemade pizza.  Don't be intimidated by this--it is fast and easy.

My dough.  I line my bowl with a little olive oil before placing the dough inside.

The three fresh ingredients.

I bought this at Costco in a two-pack for $6.99.  I use about 1/2-3/4 of one package on our pizza.  The small mozzarella balls are also really good for this too.  

The dough rolled out and on the lined baking sheet.

Spread about 2 teaspoons olive oil over dough.

Layer pizza with mozzarella, tomatoes, grated parmesan and basil.  Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

The pizza sauce (used in heart pizzas below).

The parchment paper turned brown because I preheated my pan before I put the dough on it.  You don't have to do this.  I only did it on one of my pans.  Into the oven they go...

and out they come.

Top with freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt just after taking it out of the oven.  This pizza is just as good as it looks.  I promise.  

You'll want to make this a weekly tradition ... or every other night ... it's that good.