A while back I made Pulled Pork Sliders with Sriracha BBQ Sauce for a dinner party we were hosting – a big time favorite in our house! The homemade barbecue sauce is so good, there was no way I was going to let any of it go to waste! So when I realized there was some leftover, I immediately knew a pizza was in the dinner forecast!
Unless you have a brick oven pizza oven in your backyard (in which case, I’m coming over to your house), the next best affordable option, is a pizza stone. Even still, pizza stones can get a little pricy. A nice alternative is to purchase several terra-cotta tiles from the hardware store. These tiles are thinner and more prone to cracking, but they’re an inexpensive option. You may also use a good ol’ baking sheet too, just know that your cook time will increase.
Cooking on a pizza stone does two things. One, they absorb the heat from the oven allowing for even cooking. Two, the porous material of the stone causes moisture from the dough to be absorbed, leaving you with an extra crispy crust. You may have noticed that I have baked the pizza with a piece of parchment paper between the stone and the pizza. Personally, I like my crust to be lightly crisp with a bit of chewiness. I’ve found that the parchment paper is thin enough to still allow for even high-heat cooking from the stone, but it prevents excess moisture loss – giving me the desired crust texture. Plus, it’s just plain easier than having to slide an uncooked pizza from one substrate to another.
If you like you’re pizza on the crispier side, I still recommend assembling the pizza on parchment paper and start the cooking process on the stone with the use of the paper. Approximately 4 minutes in the dough on the bottom should be firm enough to easily slide the paper out from under the pizza. The pizza will then have enough time to get extra crispy on the bottom, if that’s what you prefer.
- sriracha bbq sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for brushing
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound refrigerated pizza dough (preferably not the kind that's in a can) *see note below
- 1 cup smoked gouda, shredded
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- fresh cilantro, garnish
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (this is for the chicken). Place a pizza stone or extra baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and allow it to heat up (this is what you'll actually cook the pizza on). If the pizza dough is in the refrigerator, place it on the counter now to bring to room temperature.
- If you haven't done so already, make the sriracha bbq sauce.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Lightly pound the chicken breasts, just to even them out. Liberally season both sides with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side. (This is just to brown the outside, not to cook it all the way through). Place the browned chicken breasts on the baking sheet and baste both sides with the sriracha bbq sauce. Place on the middle rack of the oven. Baste and turn the breasts every two minutes, for about 10 minutes total, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F. (The chicken will continue to cook once you pull it out of the oven. Plus, it will cook a bit more once on the pizza). Cover with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Shred the chicken and pour ¼ cup of the sriracha bbq sauce over the top. Toss to coat.
- Increase the oven's heat to 500 degrees F. And move the pizza stone or baking sheet to the middle rack.
- Cut the ball of dough in half. Working with one half at a time, wrap the unused portion in plastic wrap, for later use. Roll out the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper (you'll use this to transfer the pizza to the oven). Roll out to ¼-inch thickness, approximately 10 inches in diameter.
- Brush olive oil just around the rim of the pizza dough. Then spread a some of the bbq sauce over the rest of the pizza, like you would if it were tomato sauce. Evenly spread ½ of the smoked gouda, mozzarella, and scallions over the top. Finally, add the shredded chicken.
- Carefully move the pizza to the oven, using the parchment paper. Place the pizza (including the parchment paper) on to the pizza stone or baking sheet. If using a stone, cook for 8-9 minutes, until the cheeses are melted and the crust is lightly browned. If you're using a baking sheet cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven top with torn cilantro. Slice and serve immediately. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough, or save for another time. Enjoy!
You'll probably have some shredded bbq chicken leftover. This can be used in soups, salads, or tacos!
I LOVE BBQ chicken pizza, and that sriracha BBQ sauce sounds amazing! Must make! Pinning!
Thanks, Meghan. I put that sriracha bbq sauce on anything and everything bbq related! I hope you enjoy 🙂
This is looking really good. Would love a slice, please 🙂
Thanks, Ella! Sending you a virtual slice now 😉
I swear. There is no one, NO ONE, who can take an otherwise ordinary recipe and turn it into something that makes me want to dive into the screen headfirst and do a face plant in your food. That sauce….that sauce….
Thanks, Nagi. You always have the nicest comments 🙂 I must say, the sauce is really quite delicious – I use it anytime I make anything regarding BBQ!
The pizza is so flavorful and I love the sauce!
Yeah, I found it’s really difficult to slide a uncooked pizza onto pizza stone, especially for very soft dough. There is one time I assembled a big thin crust pizza and then realized I never able to get them into the oven! Suddenly I thought a way, I fold the pizza several times like an envelop and moved them quickly on a pieces of aluminum foil, unfold, then into the oven… Yeah, the parchment paper sounds way better! 🙂
Lol! I definitely learned the hard way. I made a big ol’ pizza piled with toppings and then when transferring it to the oven, I thought… how do I move this thing?! I ended up trying to slide it off onto the stone, toppings fell everywhere, and the dough ripped in-half; it was a disaster! You’re at least clever enough to have folded and then unfolded the pizza. My problem is that when something isn’ working in the kitchen, I try to man-handle it, which never works… and I never learn my lesson 😛
Kathleen, this sriracha bbq chicken pizza looks wonderful. And you are so right about using a pizza stone, although I still have to invest in one. Lovely blog! And what a great idea for a giveaway!
Thanks, Suzy! I think a pizza stone is totally worth it – it really gives you a wonderful crust! Good luck in the giveaway! 🙂
Very excited about our giveaway Kathleen!
This sriracha BBQ chicken pizza looks so good! I always have sriracha at home and put it on a lot of stuff. It is time to make some pizza I guess! Pinned!
I’m excited about our giveaway too! I don’t think I’ve ever seen one this big!
This pizza is one of our favs! I hope you give it a try!