BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza Recipe
About This BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza
What It Is: Grilled pizza topped with homemade BBQ sauce, BBQ-spiced chicken, mozzarella, shallots, Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh scallions.
Servings: 4
Cooking Method: The chicken is skillet-seared and butter-basted before the pizza is cooked directly on a griddle or outdoor grill.
Flavour & Texture: Smoky, sweet and savoury BBQ chicken with melted cheese, fresh scallions and a lightly charred, chewy pizza crust.
What Makes This Version Different: The chicken is basted with butter and BBQ spice before being tossed with homemade BBQ sauce, while the pizza itself is cooked directly on a sesame-oiled griddle rather than baked in an oven.
Do I Need an Outdoor Grill? Nope. An outdoor grill will give you additional char and smokiness, but a griddle works perfectly well, which is what I'm using.
BBQ chicken pizza is nothing new, but since I've been playing around with grilled pizzas lately, of course I had to make my own version. The chicken breast gets pounded to an even thickness, seared hard in a skillet, then basted with butter and @VinceHomeMade Dad's BBQ Spice Mix.
I turn the heat off before adding the butter and spice mix because I want those spices coating the chicken, not burning on the bottom of my skillet. The chicken is then diced and tossed with my homemade BBQ sauce before it goes anywhere near the pizza.
BBQ chicken pizza is very much an American creation rather than something you'll find in traditional Italian pizza-making. It became particularly associated with California-style pizza in the 1980s, when unconventional toppings and combinations became part of that style's identity.
BBQ sauce replacing tomato sauce and chicken replacing the more familiar cured meats were part of that experimentation. My version wanders even further away from tradition because I'm cooking the pizza directly on a griddle, or an outdoor grill if you have one, and I grease the surface with sesame oil. So no, I'm definitely not going to pretend there's an Italian nonna somewhere making this.
What I love about grilled pizza is how uncomplicated it can be once you understand the technique. Grill one side of the dough first, flip it, turn the heat down and only then start building your pizza.
A thin layer of BBQ sauce, mozzarella, shallots, that sticky BBQ chicken and some Parmigiano Reggiano are really all this needs. Finish it with fresh scallions and that's dinner. If you've never cooked pizza on a griddle or grill before, give this a try.
You don't need a pizza oven or some ridiculous 500°C setup, just watch the heat, don't overload the damn thing and let the charred dough do its job.
Ingredients:
(Serve 4)
Chicken Breast, 1
Sea Salt, Pinch
Rapeseed / Sunflower / Canola / Peanut Oil, 2 TBSP
Unsalted Butter, 2 TBSP
BBQ Sauce Homemade, 2 TBSP + More
Grilled Pizza Dough Homemade, 4 Dough Balls
Sesame Oil, For Greasing
Low Moisture Mozzarella, For Shredding
Parmigiano Reggiano, For Grating
Shallots Sliced, 4
Scallions Coarsely Sliced, A Handful
Equipment:
Griddle / Outdoor Grill
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan
Directions:
Please visit my "Homemade BBQ Sauce" for the recipe.
Please visit my "How To Make Grilled Pizza Dough" for the recipe.
Prepare the homemade BBQ sauce and grilled pizza dough beforehand.
Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and cover it with cling film. Using a meat mallet, rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy skillet, gently pound the chicken until it is approximately even in thickness. This helps it cook more evenly.
Remove the cling film and season both sides of the chicken lightly with salt.
Heat the cooking oil in a cast iron skillet or pan over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the chicken. If you have a burger press, you can gently press the chicken against the skillet to encourage even contact and develop a better sear.
Cook until the underside develops a deep golden-brown crust, then flip the chicken.
Turn off the heat before adding the butter and BBQ spice mix. The residual heat will melt the butter without immediately scorching the spices.
Tilt the skillet slightly and continuously spoon the melted spiced butter over the chicken. Flip and baste the other side as well.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow it to rest for about 5 minutes before finely dicing it.
Meanwhile, carefully add a small splash of water to the same skillet and scrape up the browned bits left behind by the chicken.
Add the homemade BBQ sauce and stir everything together. Cook briefly until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
Add the diced chicken to a mixing bowl and toss it with the reduced BBQ sauce until evenly coated. Set aside.
Roll out one pizza dough ball to your desired thickness and prick the surface lightly with a fork.
Heat your griddle or outdoor grill and lightly grease the cooking surface with sesame oil.
Place the pizza dough directly onto the hot griddle or grill. Lightly brush the exposed side with more sesame oil.
Cook until the underside has developed some colour and light charring. Keep an eye on it because grilled pizza can go from beautifully charred to burnt rather quickly.
Flip the dough, then immediately reduce the heat to low.
Spread a thin layer of homemade BBQ sauce over the cooked surface. Don't drown the pizza in sauce or the crust can become soggy.
Scatter freshly shredded low-moisture mozzarella over the sauce, followed by the sliced shallots and BBQ chicken.
Finish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Cover the griddle or grill. This traps heat above the pizza and helps melt the cheese while the bottom continues cooking.
Cook until the mozzarella has melted and the underside of the pizza is lightly charred and cooked through. Adjust the heat as necessary if the crust is browning faster than the cheese is melting.
Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and finish with freshly sliced scallions.
Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.
Slice and serve immediately.
Tips
Pound the chicken evenly rather than paper-thin.
You're trying to eliminate the dramatically thicker end of the breast so everything cooks at roughly the same rate.
Turn off the heat before adding the BBQ spice mix.
Many BBQ rubs contain sugar and finely ground spices that can scorch quickly against a hot cast iron skillet.
Check the chicken temperature.
Residual heat varies enormously between pans and chicken breasts. Make sure the thickest part reaches 74°C / 165°F.
Go easy with the BBQ sauce.
Both the chicken and pizza already contain sauce. A thin layer on the dough is enough; too much can make your grilled crust soggy.
Use low-moisture mozzarella.
It melts beautifully without releasing as much water onto the pizza as very wet fresh mozzarella.
Don't overload the pizza.
Grilled pizza cooks quickly from underneath. Too many toppings make it harder for everything above the crust to heat through before the bottom burns.
Keep the heat under control after flipping.
The first side needs enough heat to char. Once flipped and topped, lower heat gives the cheese time to melt without turning the bottom into charcoal.
No outdoor grill? No problem.
I'm using a griddle. Use whatever equipment you actually have rather than buying another damn thing for one recipe.
FAQ
What is BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza?
BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza is pizza cooked directly on a griddle or outdoor grill and topped with BBQ sauce, seasoned chicken, mozzarella, shallots, Parmigiano Reggiano and scallions. Unlike oven-baked pizza, the dough cooks directly against the hot cooking surface, giving the crust distinctive charring.
Is BBQ chicken pizza Italian?
BBQ chicken pizza is generally associated with modern American pizza rather than traditional Italian pizza. Versions became particularly associated with California-style pizza and its experimentation with unconventional sauces and toppings.
Do I need an outdoor grill to make grilled pizza?
No. I cook mine on a griddle. An outdoor grill can provide additional smoky flavour and charring, but the same basic method works on a sufficiently large griddle.
Why cook one side of the pizza dough before adding the toppings?
Cooking the first side gives the dough structure. After flipping it, the already-cooked surface becomes the top of the pizza while the second side cooks underneath the toppings.
Why should I lower the heat after flipping the pizza?
Once the toppings are added, you need enough time for the cheese to melt and the toppings to heat through. Keeping the heat too high can burn the bottom of the pizza before that happens.
Why use low-moisture mozzarella?
Low-moisture mozzarella melts well while releasing less water than very moist fresh mozzarella, which is particularly useful for a quickly cooked grilled pizza.
Can I use a different BBQ rub?
Absolutely. I'm using @VinceHomeMade Dad's BBQ Spice Mix, but use whatever BBQ rub you enjoy. Just be careful when adding it to the hot skillet because spice blends—particularly those containing sugar, can burn.
Can I use store-bought BBQ sauce and pizza dough?
Of course. I make both because that's what I enjoy doing, but neither is compulsory. If store-bought sauce and dough get you making grilled pizza instead of abandoning the recipe altogether, use them.
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