BBQ Chicken Pizza

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In my family, pizza is perfect just about any time, for any meal, and in any season. But sometimes we want a change from the basic cheese and pepperoni pie.

I switched things up on a recent Saturday night and followed the recipe for “Famous BBQ Chicken Pizza with Extra Cilantro.” It’s from The Huckle & Goose Cookbook: 125 Recipes & Habits to Cook More, Stress Less, and Bring the Outside In, by sisters-in-law Anca Toderic and Christine Lucaciu. It was published in 2019. The gorgeous book with beautiful photography encourages a connection with the outdoors and seasonal cooking.

Huckle & Goose is a meal planning company — with a name derived from huckleberries and gooseberries — both harvested only during the summer. Many recipes are family friendly. Spring recipes include beer-braised chicken with peas & bacon, May Day pasta bowl, and shortcut ramen with spring vegetables. Summer recipes of note are Brooklyn pizzeria summer salad, basil-lemon fish with a sunny sauté, and Bakeshop blackberry-lavender scones. Autumn recipes include cumin-oregano squash & bell pepper quesadillas, goodbye summer golden tomato soup with grilled cheese, and a classic (not cafeteria) meatloaf dinner. Winter recipes include charred Brussels sprouts carbonara, Friday night baked potato bar, and game night nachos with homemade queso & charred cauliflower.

The BBQ chicken pizza recipe is part of the winter chapter. The recipe calls for homemade or store-bought pizza dough. We chose to use Lidia Bastianich’s recipe, which I’ve included in this post (please see photo, attached). Her full recipe provides enough for two pizzas. We froze half, which I’m sure we’ll use soon enough for our next pizza night!

Ingredients:

  • 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 3/4 cup barbecue sauce, divided
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for pan
  • 1 16-ounce ball of homemade or store-bought pizza dough
  • 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 ounces shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • 1 small red onion, sliced
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (I agree with the authors, the cilantro is not just a garnish; it’s an ingredient!)
  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. On a small baking dish or sheet pan, brush the chicken breasts generously with 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cut into bite-size pieces, and set aside.
  3. Raise temperature to 450 degrees F.
  4. Grease a large sheet pan with a little drizzle of oil. Hold the dough in your hands and begin to gently stretch it, which allows for those delicious bubbles. Set the dough on the pan and continue stretching to fill the sheet pan.
  5. Brush dough with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, leaving a border around the edges. Top with the cheese, diced chicken, onion, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and the crust is golden brown. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.

The Huckle & Goose Cookbook: 125 Recipes & Habits to Cook More, Stress Less, and Bring the Outside In is available for request here or by calling Whitehall Public Library at 412-882-6622.