Claire's BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza

My friend Claire makes grilled pizzas on a regular basis, and I have been dying to try out one of her recipes. This BBQ Chicken version is one of her favorites, and it sounds really unique and delicious!

For the crust, I think I will use Jen A.'s Quick Homemade Pizza Dough recipe, and just adapt it for the grill. I can't wait to eat dinner tonight!

Claire's BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza

Ingredients:
1 batch of Quick Homemade Pizza Dough (see below for recipe)
1/2 cup of caramelized onions
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
salt and pepper to taste
BBQ sauce of your choice
1/3 cup of smoked mozzarella, shredded
1/3 cup of regular mozzarella, shredded
1/3 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1-2 green onions, chopped (for garnish) OR a small handful of cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine diced chicken pizza with 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce and set aside.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Place dough on grill rack, close lid. Dough will take 5-7 minutes. Check it occasionally for bubbles. Once the bottom is golden brown (or at least not burned...ours don't always get golden brown I guess), flip the crust over. This can be tricky and may require two spatulas, depending on the size of your crust. Turn heat down to low or move pizza(s) to top rack if your grill has one. Spread a layer of BBQ sauce on the cooked side of the crust with a spatula. Then, place the toppings on top of the sauce(chicken, caramelized onions,and both cheeses). Close lid. Check after five minutes, cook until cheese is melted. Garnish with either chopped cilantro or green onions. Serve and enjoy!

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Jen A.'s Quick Homemade Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups of AP flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder

Directions:
In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, & olive oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round.

Cook on grill, as indicated in the above directions.

Jen's Notes:
I am going to cook the chicken breast in my oven, by using my broiler. I set the broiler on high and just coat the chicken in salt, pepper, and olive oil. I cook it for about 5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in the center. Then, will just dice them up to use on my pizza.





The Result:
This was excellent! We all loved this take on pizza!!! The crust was crisp and had nice char marks on it. The pizza itself was just delicious. I loved the combo of the three cheeses, chicken, BBQ sauce, and caramelized onions all together. The flavors really meshed well together. I had an issue with getting the dough on the grill, but I think I just need some practice. My dough shape ended up being really "rustic" looking. Other than that, it cooked perfectly and I got through the rest of the process without a hitch.
The only other change I made was that I substituted 1 cup of whole wheat flour in place of regular AP flour (I updated the ingredients quantities above). I wanted the crust to be a little healthier, and I love the flavor and texture that whole wheat lends to the dough. It worked out great and I will probably make those changes again, when I make this recipe in the future. This recipe is a definite keeper and a nice variation on a classic! Yum!!!