Does anyone else remember being told endlessly to blot your pizza grease off with a napkin?
I can’t think of pizza without thinking of that terrible part of early 2000’s diet culture.
The bad pizza advice was in every and any magazine you could find during this era.
And let’s actually think about it for a minute, shall we? By blotting pizza, yes, you are removing some oil (aka fat) that comes off from the melted cheese. But from a calorie standpoint, this isn’t having a major impact on your life.
In fact, a lot of eating – and satisfaction – is done with our eyes. There’s a reason that restaurants make food look pretty and visually appealing. When something looks good, we’re more likely to crave it, eat it, and feel satisfied from it.
Kinda sounds like common sense once it’s put that way, doesn’t it?
Then think about blotted pizza: it’s probably one of the less appealing looking foods. You take the sheen away from that freshly melted cheese and what’s left is a dull piece of squished pizza.
Not only does blotting pizza barely have an impact of the calories and nutrients in the pizza, but also, it really ruins the eating experience too.
Luckily, I don’t think I’ve seen this advice actually given in years. But, if you are still following it (no shame, it truly was everywhere!), try to ditch it, okay? Enjoy your pizza in all its cheesy, greasy glory. That’s what pizza is for!
Now that we’re past that – we must talk about this BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Truly, it’s one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten.
This pizza is different than your traditional cheese pizza. Instead of tomato sauce, we use a homemade BBQ sauce. Then, instead of just mozzarella cheese, the pizza is piled with fresh mozzarella and gruyere cheese.
It’s topped with shredded chicken breast and red onion, for a flavorful, protein-packed, and of course, delicious slice.
If you want to make something incredibly delicious that looks gourmet and will impress a crowd, this is it.
Just remember: don’t blot the grease 🙂
Make the BBQ sauce
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place a large, greased baking sheet in the oven (a hot baking sheet helps when cooking the pizza).
Make the BBQ sauce. Add all sauce ingredients to a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a low boil and then reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Shred the chicken
Using a fork, shred the chicken. Toss the shredded chicken with 1 cup of the prepared BBQ sauce and set aside.
Prepare dough
On a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough with a rolling pin until the dough is about 1/4-inch thick. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top of the dough, followed by 1/2 cup of the prepared BBQ sauce, and spread evenly.
Add the shredded BBQ chicken on top.
Top with cheese
Followed by the shredded mozzarella cheese, gouda cheese, and red onion. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Bake
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is cooked through and the cheese is melted. Broil for a few minutes until the cheese begins to brown, watching carefully that it doesn’t burn.
Cut into slices
Remove pizza from the oven, let cool, and cut into slices.
Notes
- BBQ Sauce: The peach cider vinegar I used is so delicious and unique. If you can’t find any though, swap for apple cider vinegar. Note that you’ll end up without 1 cup of extra BBQ sauce. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge and use it on anything – veggies, chicken, grain bowls, or just for a dip for your pizza.
- Chicken: To bake the chicken, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake in the oven at 400 F for 15 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 165 F is reached.
- Cheese: When you’re going to melt cheese, I always find that shredding the cheese yourself yields the best finished product. If you can’t find full blocks of cheese or just prefer to buy them pre-shredded (no shame!), look for a higher quality shredded cheese. They will melt the best!
- Baking tip: Make sure to heat your baking sheet in the oven while the oven is pre-heating. It sounds simple, but a hot baking sheet helps to get the bottom of the pizza nice and crispy.
- Storage: Store pizza covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can microwave or broil in the oven until warm and crisp.
Ingredients
BBQ Sauce
- 1 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup peach cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Pizza
- 1 1/2 lbs pizza dough
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 12 ounces cooked chicken breast
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded gouda cheese
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
- Parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place a large, greased baking sheet in the oven (a hot baking sheet helps when cooking the pizza).
- Make the BBQ sauce. Add all sauce ingredients to a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to a low boil and then reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
- Using a fork, shred the chicken. Toss the shredded chicken with 1 cup of the prepared BBQ sauce and set aside.
- On a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough with a rolling pin until the dough is about 1/4-inch thick. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top of the dough, followed by 1/2 cup of the prepared BBQ sauce, and spread evenly.
- Add the shredded BBQ chicken on top, followed by the shredded mozzarella cheese, gouda cheese, and red onion. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is cooked through and the cheese is melted. Broil for a few minutes until the cheese begins to brown, watching carefully that it doesn’t burn.
- Remove pizza from the oven, let cool, and cut into slices.
