BBQ Chicken Pizza on the grill? Oh yes, it’s amazing! This pizza recipe is awesome, crispy crust, wonderful barbecue sauce base, and chicken! I think homemade pizza is better than take-out.
The best thing about homemade pizza on the grill is that you can add whatever sauces, toppings, or cheese that you like. The world is your oyster, so to speak. Heck, you could even add some oysters if you like!
HELPFUL ITEMS FOR THIS RECIPE
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Pizza Stone for Oven and Grill
Can you cook a pizza on a BBQ?
The answer is yes, of course, you can cook a pizza on a BBQ! Actually, a BBQ is very much like a pizza oven. When the lid is closed, the heat circulates in the BBQ much like the heat of a pizza oven does.
You can actually cook the pizza directly on the grill, on a pizza stone that you place on the grill, or in a heavy pizza pan like a cast iron pan. The thing to remember is that the dough needs to be cooked through no matter which method you use. This can be a bit of a challenge if you are cooking it directly on the grill. It is easier to regulate the cooking of the crust on a stone or in a pan.
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- Warm water
- Active dry yeast
- Honey
- Salt
- Olive oil, or vegetable oil
- AP flour, unbleached
- Corn meal
Pizza
- Barbecue sauce
- Cooked chicken, cubed
- Pineapple chunks
- Red onion, sliced
- Shredded cheese (mozzarella cheese, smoked gouda, &/or parmesan)
How to Make Homemade Pizza crust
To make homemade pizza, you need to start with homemade pizza dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the warm water (95 degrees F.), yeast, and honey. Make sure that your water is not too hot, or it will kill the yeast. If it is too cool, it will take longer to get the yeast going. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 5-7 minutes, or until it blooms or foams up a little.
Next, add the salt and about 1/2 the flour. Mix with a dough hook until the dough is blended; it will be very sticky. Continue to add flour about 1/2 a cup at a time, and continue to mix. Once the dough starts to pull away and separate from the sides of the bowl, you have enough flour.
Just a note, depending upon where you live will depend upon how much flour you need to add. If you live in a dry climate (like me), you will need to add a little less flour. If you live in a more humid climate, you may need to add a little more flour to your dough.
Pour the oil into a large bowl and transfer the dough into that bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise at room temperature. Your dough will need to almost double in size, then you know it is ready to roll out and bake. If you are looking for a short cut here is a great bread machine pizza dough recipe for you!
HOw to make Homemade BBQ chicken Pizza
It’s time to prepare your dough for the toppings. I like to sprinkle a little bit of flour or cornmeal on my work surface before I shape the dough. It keeps it from sticking. Using your hands, stretch the dough to form a circle. You can use your hands, or if you prefer, use a rolling pin. If you are really brave, you can toss your dough in the air like they do in Italy!
Once you have the dough rolled out to the desired size and thickness, it’s time to start building your pizza. If you are using a pan, pour a little oil in and sprinkle it with cornmeal. If you are using a pizza stone, place the stone directly on the grill before you preheat it. You will need to transfer this onto the pizza stone once you have it built.
Preheat your grill to 450 degrees F. while you are building your pizza. Start by brushing the BBQ sauce on. Then add the cheese. I like lots of cheese, but you can put as much or as little as you like on your pizza.
Sprinkle the cubed cooked chicken over the cheese, then the pineapple chunks, and finally the slices of red onion on top. I like to add some additional cheese on top of everything for two reasons. First, as I mentioned, I like cheese, but secondly, it helps to hold everything in place after the pizza is cooked.
Cooking your Homemade Pizza
Once your grill is prepared, place the pizza pan directly on the grill. If you are using a pizza stone, slide the pizza onto the hot stone. You need to close the lid and just let it cook for about 10 minutes. I usually check the pizza after 10 minutes. Depending upon the thickness of your crust, you may need to cook it for an additional 5 – 7 minutes more.
The bottom of the dough needs to cook; after all, no one likes undercooked or raw pizza crust. If you are using a pan, you may want to rotate the pan during the cooking process. This will help to account for any uneven heating on your grill.
Once you take your pizza off the grill, you are going to want to let it rest for a few minutes before serving. The edges of your crust should be a beautiful golden brown color.
Slice your pizza pie into as many slices as you like. I’m a traditionalist; I like to slice my pizza into the usual triangle pieces. If you want to get a little creative, try slicing your pizza into square pieces for something a little different.
See, this is why I like a little extra cheese on my pizza!! The great thing about homemade pizza is you can add or change the sauce and the toppings.
If you want to put on tomato sauce or alfredo sauce, go ahead. If you want more veggies, slice them up and put them on. My wife always says that I always order the same pizza when we order in. But when we build our own, we always have something different! This combination of chicken, pineapple, onions, and bbq sauce is her ultimate favorite, excellent in my mind too.
Don’t you just love homemade pizza!!
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1 cup warm water around 95 degrees F
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt table salt, not Kosher. It will dissolve easier in water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or any vegetable oil
- 2 ½ to 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- Semolina or cornmeal for rolling the dough
Pizza
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 cup of cubed chicken
- ¼ cup pineapple chunks pat dry
- ¼ cup sliced red onion
- 4 cups of shredded cheese divided
Instructions
Pizza Dough
- In a bowl of a stand-up mixer, combine warm water, yeast, and honey. Wait for 5 to 7 minutes until it blooms or foams up. If it does not foam/froth up, restart this step with new, fresh yeast.
- Add salt and 1 ½ cup of flour. Mix until you have a nice dough but sticky.
- Add ½ cup flour and mix until all incorporated; no more dry flour
- Add another ½ cup and mix until incorporated. Once the dough starts to separate from the wall of the mixer, this means you have enough flour.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a large mixing bowl and transfer your dough.
- Cover with a cloth and place in a dry, draft-free place for the dough to rise. Once the dough has doubled in size, your dough is ready.
Pizza
- Prepare your pan: Pour 1 tablespoon of oil in the cast iron pan and sprinkle some semolina in the pan. Set aside.
- Sprinkle some semolina on a working surface and stretch the dough to form a circle. I used a 14-inch cast-iron pizza pan, so I make my circle 14 inches in diameter. You can use your hands to stretch, but I like to start with a rolling pin and roll the dough to the desired size.
- Once your dough has reached the desired size, transfer to the pan.
- Brush your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Add the cheese. I like my pizza very cheesy, so I add 3 cups of cheese, spread evenly throughout the pizza dough.
- Add the cubed chicken and the pineapple chunk evenly to the pizza.
- Finish by sprinkling the red onion on top.
- Top all the toppings with your last 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. (I know I like a lot of cheese, but it is so good, and you won’t regret it.)
- At this point, your pizza is ready to go. Now time to prep the BBQ.
Prepping the BBQ and cooking
- Preheat your BBQ or grill to 450 degrees F.
- If you are using a pizza stone, place it on the grill before you preheat.
- Once it reaches the temperature, put the pan in the middle of the grill and close the lid. If you are using a pizza stone, sprinkle some cornmeal on the hot stone and then slide the pizza onto the pizza stone on the grill.
- Cook for 10 minutes and rotate your pan ¼ turn. If using a pizza stone, turn your pizza using a pizza spatula to turn your pizza on the pizza stone.
- Cook for an additional 3 – 5 minutes and rotate a 1/4 turn once more.
- Depending on the thickness of your pizza, it may be close to being done. Because we had a thicker crust, we cook for an additional 5 minutes.
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