BBQ Chicken Pizza

A crispy pan style pizza topped with barbecue chicken, melty mozzarella, red onions, fresh cilantro, and creamy jalapeño ranch.

I’ve really been loving prepping pizza dough ahead of time because it makes homemade pizza night feel so much easier during busy weeks. I also wanted to find my go-to whole wheat pizza dough with 100% freshly milled flour, and I think I accomplished that! Once the dough is already fermented and ready to go, the rest of dinner honestly comes together pretty quickly. And this combination of barbecue sauce, chicken, mozzarella, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño ranch ended up being so good together.

The jalapeño ranch on top completely made the pizza. I originally added it almost as an afterthought, but it tied everything together and added the perfect creamy flavor to balance the smoky barbecue sauce.

Why I Love It

This pizza feels homemade and special without being overly complicated. The pan pizza method keeps things simple, and the crispy olive oil coated edges are one of my favorite parts.

I also love that the dough can be prepped days ahead of time, which makes pizza night feel much more manageable on busy evenings. This recipe also makes 2 pizzas at once.

Main Ingredients & Swaps

• Sourdough pizza dough – I love using my homemade freshly milled sourdough dough here because it adds so much flavor and texture.
• Chicken – a simple easy protein that works perfectly with barbecue sauce.
• Barbecue sauce – adds smoky sweet flavor and becomes caramelized in the oven.
• Mozzarella cheese – melts beautifully and gives the pizza that classic cheesy texture. I suggest buying a block and shredded it yourself, it just has a better melt when you do it that way.
• Red onion – adds freshness and a little sharpness that balances the richness.
• Cilantro – brightens everything up at the end and adds fresh flavor.
• My jalapeño ranch – this really pulls the whole pizza together and adds creamy flavor to every bite.
• Olive oil – helps create crispy golden edges on the pan pizza crust.

How I Make It

I start by baking the chicken with barbecue sauce until fully cooked and tender enough to chop into bite sized pieces.

While the chicken cooks, I let the pizza dough warm up at room temperature so it’s easier to stretch into the pans. I like to use generously oiled sheet pans or pizza pans because the olive oil helps create crispy golden edges.

Before adding toppings, I usually par bake the crust for a few minutes first. Then I add the barbecue sauce, mozzarella, chicken, and red onions before baking again until bubbly and golden.

Right before serving, I drizzle the pizza with jalapeño ranch and top it with fresh cilantro.

Tip for the crispiest and most delicious crust

• Take the dough out of the fridge and transfer to a well oiled 9×13 pan 2 hours before you plan to bake it. Gently dimple the dough outwards to get it to fill the pan. Don’t force it, cover those pans and come back later and do it again. Try to be gentle with the dough to keep those air bubbles.
• Par baking the crust for 5 minutes at 500 first helps prevent soggy pizza.

If you want to watch me make this recipe, you can check out my YouTube video below.

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