Barbecue sauce is my absolute favorite condiment of all time. When I was little, I used to have this sauce with everything- chicken, pork, steak, fish, … I even mixed it with my rice (dead serious). Although I’m not quite as fanatical as I was as a child, I am still a sucker for anything with barbecue sauce…
So this pizza is everything!
I make a barbecue chicken dip that is always a hit (personally I could eat it with a spoon), so I thought it would be amazing to transform this dip into a pizza…and that’s exactly what I did! All of the ingredients that are in my barbecue chicken dip have found there way to this pizza. It took some trial and error to get it to be what I envisioned, but I finally got it perfect. Barbecue chicken is nestled between layers of cheese on a homemade crust and topped with bacon, scallions, and a ranch drizzle.
Super…duper…yum!!!
I have included a homemade pizza dough recipe, but feel free to use store-bought pizza dough if you prefer. Either way, it will be amazing!
Ingredients:
2 ¾ cups bread flour
1 envelope fast-acting yeast
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. olive oil, plus extra for brushing
1 cup warm water
1 ½ cups cooked and chopped chicken
1 cup barbecue sauce
4 oz. cream cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
¼ cup ranch dressing
6 slices bacon, cooked till crisp and crumbled
2 scallions, chopped
Directions:
1. To make the pizza dough, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, turn the mixer to speed 2 and gradually pour in the water and one tablespoon of olive oil. Allow the mixer to knead the dough with the dough hook for about 7-8 minutes. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a hand-held mixer to combine the water and oil with the dry ingredients until a dough forms, then turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes. Once the dough has been kneaded, grease a clean bowl with a bit of olive oil. Place the dough in the greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place to rise for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
2. In a small bowl combine the chicken with the barbecue sauce. In another bowl, cream together the cream cheese with the mozzarella cheese until thoroughly combined.
3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Grease a pizza stone or pizza pan with olive oil. Divide the pizza dough in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and freeze for later use (just transfer to the refrigerator the day before you want to use it). Spread the remaining pizza dough out on the pan to form a large circle. Allow to rest for a few minutes, then brush the dough with a bit of olive oil. Bake the crust for 8 minutes.
4. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the prebaked crust. Spoon the barbecue chicken evenly over the cream cheese layer (be sure to include all of the barbecue sauce!), then sprinkle the Colby Jack cheese evenly over that. Bake the pizza for another 10-13 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly. Sprinkle on the scallions and bacon, then drizzle with the ranch dressing.
Allow the pizza to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!
Food Happy by Debbie 