BBQ Chicken Pizza

I started making most of our pizzas homemade last year, and once I started I couldn't go back to frozen or put the money out for delivery.  The BBQ chicken pizza has become one of my favorites; but with this pizza dough recipe you can make whatever kind you want.  We have made any where from the normal cheese pizza to a taco pizza (pizza dough, ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning and queso; it is AMAZING).  I hope you give this a try some time, you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients

(Pizza Dough)

- 3 1/2 to 4 cups of bread flour (Bread flour gives it a better taste and it won't turn out chewy like some all-purpose flours can)

- 1 tsp of sugar

- 2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast

- 2 tsp of salt

- 1 1/2 cups of hot water (110 degrees Fahrenheit)

- 2 tbsp of olive oil

(Toppings for BBQ Chicken Pizza)

- 1 lb of chicken breast (cubed, cooked through, and tossed in BBQ sauce)

- 1/4 of a red onion, diced (per pizza or per your taste)

- BBQ sauce 

- Shredded Mozzarella cheese (I use a block of whole milk mozzarella and shred it myself, it is creamier then pre-shredded cheese)

- Corn meal for pizza stone

1) Add the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the mixer bowl of a stand mixer and combine.  With the mixer running add the water and oil until a firm dough ball has formed. (If the dough is to dry add a tsp of water at a time and if it is to wet add a tsp of flour at a time)

2) Remove dough from the mixer bowl and knead into a ball, then place in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and/or clean cloth.  Allow to rise for 1 hr.

3) After the hour preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, (also, if using a pizza stone place it in the oven now too).  Punch the dough down and remove from bowl; gently knead the dough on a floured surface for a minute and then separate into two even dough balls (each one will make a 12" pizza). Roll the dough out with a floured rolling pin until desired thickness and in the shape of a pizza (note: not all the pizzas will be perfectly round, but they still taste just as good)

4) Remove your pizza stone from the oven and sprinkle with corn meal, it helps the pizza from sticking.  Take you rolled out pizza dough and place it on the pizza stone; add BBQ sauce in a thin layer and spread around; add the prepped BBQ chicken and red onion; then lastly add the shredded mozzarella.  Place in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

5) Remove from oven and transfer to a platter, allow to cool slightly before cutting, then serve.

There you have it, simple and delicious homemade pizza.  One thing that I do want to emphasize is to make sure that you don't cut it as soon as it comes out of the oven, it tends to stay crisper if you wait a minute or two.  Please do try this some time, I know it has become a regular on our menu and I hope that it can at your house too.

Enjoy!!