BBQ Chicken Pizza with Cracked Black Pepper Crust

I don't have very many meals that I continually make, mostly because I am constantly trying new things. Then sometimes I try new things, and they do not work. One time, I tried making some type of tofu with a peanut sauce and oh boy, was it bad. So, so bad. The sauce ended up unbelievably thick and gross. I had to throw the whole thing away (and that is saying a lot)!

This is one regular that I keep making again and again because it is so trusty. My husband loves it, too. And the real bonus is there's always leftovers for his lunch the next day. Score!

You might have to plan a little in advance for this one because of the time it takes to make the crust. But if you are in a hurry, you could probably use pre-made dough and mix the pepper in. But really, pizza dough is relatively simple to make.

I love the addition of fresh cracked pepper to this crust. It adds a little heat without taking away from the flavors of the BBQ sauce and the chicken. Mmmm...I'm drooling thinking about it. I'll probably make this again in the next few days!

I've tried a few pizza dough recipes over the years, but this one from allrecipes.com always works well for me.

BBQ Chicken Pizza with Cracked Black Pepper Crust
makes one large pizza (8 slices)
print this recipe

Crust:

1 cup warm water
1 packet yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbs oil (olive or canola)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

Toppings:

1/4 cup BBQ sauce, divided (I like Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 large or 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese (for this pizza, I used a six cheese combo)
1/4 cilantro, chopped
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
salt & pepper




In your mixing bowl, add the water, yeast, and sugar. You'll want the water to be less than 110º (think of warm bath water). Mix gently with a spoon and let proof for about ten minutes. If you don't have a mixer, the crust recipe has directions that doesn't use one.



Add the flour, oil, salt, and pepper. You can use your hook attachment but most days I'm lazy and just beat the dough to death with my beater. After the flour is mixed in, beat on medium for about 3-4 minutes or until you see the dough start to form strings. Now, I like my dough to be a little wetter than what is average. The first couple of times I made this recipe, I used my dough hook and let the dough form into a ball that pulled away from the sides of the bowl. But I found that this created too crispy of a crust for me. So I tend to use 1-2 Tbs less of flour so the dough is more spongy.



Scrape the dough into a well-oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm area until doubled, about 30 minutes.



In the meantime, cook the chicken breast. Season with salt and pepper and cook in a skillet. I used my cast iron skillet because I love the sear that it gives the meat. Then I finished it in a 350º oven. If you are using smaller pieces, you could probably just get away with cooking them on the stovetop. Or, of course, you could always use the breast from a rotisserie chicken. Shred the chicken and set aside in a small bowl. Mix in 1 Tbs of the BBQ sauce and let rest.





Chop up the cilantro and slice the onion.



Once the dough has doubled, turn out onto a floured surface. I have no Italian blood in me whatsoever, so I use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. But if you like things fancy, toss and stretch in the air! Whatever makes you happy.



I like to bake my pizza on a stone. According to the directions for my stone, I place it in a cold oven then preheat the oven up to the temperature for the pizza, which is 475º. Once the oven is preheated, I remove the stone from the oven and place the dough and toppings on top. If you don't have a pizza stone, you could use a pizza pan or even a cookie dough sheet.

After I place the dough on the stone, I spread the remaining amount of the BBQ sauce then all of the cheese. Top with the chicken, cilantro, and red onion. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown and the cheese is browned.



Mmmm...I hope you guys like this one enough to add it to your menu rotation.






-Candice