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Grab your favorite BBQ sauce & a pre-made pizza crust, flatbread, or naan. This easy, sweet-and-smoky chicken pizza recipe will be ready in 15-20 minutes!
This post may contain affiliate links.
Does your family enjoy pizza as much as mine does?
It's not just that I live in New York and married into an Italian family... I've always loved pizza night!
But once you start doing homemade pizza for dinner, things can get a lot more interesting!
Not that we don't still do takeout from some of our favorite local NY-style pizza shops (including, yes, the frequent pineapple pizza from Dominos. Don't judge! It's my son's absolute FAVORITE, and I love how much he loves it).
But pizza delivery or takeout isn't always faster than making pizza at home, especially if you pick up a few staples while you're doing your grocery shopping for the week. And the topping combinations are only limited by your imagination!
This BBQ chicken pizza came about as a way to use up a few chicken cutlets that I had in the fridge. The first time I made it, I made 2 different pizzas on flatbreads - this one and Rachael Ray's Thai Chicken Pizza, which is a longtime favorite in my house.
We had my in-laws over, and I served both pizzas for dinner. As much as we love the Thai one, the BBQ chicken pizza totally stole the show!
I was excited to make this pizza recipe again and photograph it so I could share it here. It really was a quick, easy way to enjoy pizza at home with my family.
The second time around, I decided to go with naan as my pizza crust. I found that one chicken cutlet was the perfect amount for each piece of naan.
Cooking Chicken for BBQ Chicken Pizza
I seasoned my chicken with one of my favorite seasoning blends from Penzeys - their Saté Seasoning (which, on the label and the main title on their site is spelled "Sate", but in the description, it's spelled "saté", which honestly makes me twitch a little). This blend is Indonesian-inspired, but the flavors remind me and my husband of Caribbean/Jamaican seasoning.
If you don't have the saté seasoning, go for a Caribbean jerk seasoning instead. Just go lightly with it at first, as some jerk seasonings can be pretty spicy.
I cooked my seasoned chicken in a few tablespoons of peanut oil in a cast iron skillet. Feel free to use any type of heavy skillet that you have, or even pop them on the grill for some nice charred bits on the outside of your chicken.
While the chicken was cooking, I slathered 2 pieces of naan with some BBQ sauce (my family loves Stubb's Original Bar-B-Q). A spicier BBQ sauce would work well with this pizza, too, but I wanted to keep it a little milder for my kiddo.
What is Smoked Mozzarella?
Fresh mozzarella cheese is a thing of beauty. I didn't try it fresh (the kind that comes in a container filled with liquid) until I moved to New York, and it is a total game-changer!
We love using fresh mozzarella on pizzas, but for this particular BBQ chicken pizza I wanted to up the smoky flavor by using smoked mozzarella. If you haven't tried smoked mozzarella before, you're missing out! It has that wonderful, fresh mozzarella texture with the addition of wood smoke.
I used smoked mozzarella from a local cheese shop here in New York, but there are many brands out there. Murray's has some great information on how they make their smoked mozzarella, and you can order it online if you aren't able to find it near you.
Cooking BBQ Chicken Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella
Since the pizza crust or naan is already pre-cooked, the actual cooking time for this pizza is pretty minimal. You could, of course, use homemade or store-bought pizza dough, but be sure to factor in some extra cooking time.
Preheat your oven while you season and cook the chicken and chop your toppings. Place your pizza crust(s) on a baking sheet lined with an oven-proof baking rack. If you don't have a baking rack, you can place it directly onto the baking sheet. I like having the heat be able to circulate all around it, which is why I put it on top of a rack.
The first time I made this, I cooked it at 500°F on my pizza steel, but that ended up overcooking the crust before the mozzarella could properly melt. So I lowered the temp and went with this method instead.
Top crusts with slices of smoked mozzarella, thyme, and red bell pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil over the cheese to keep it from burning, then pop it into the preheated oven. Let it bake until the cheese is nicely melted, about 10 minutes, depending on your oven and the thickness of your cheese.
Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn!
When your chicken is cool enough, slice it into strips. Once the crusts are out of the oven, top each with the sliced chicken and a scattering of green onions.
Slice 'em up and dinner.is.served.
Quick, easy, and most importantly, DELICIOUS.
Pizza night is pretty much always a good idea, am I right?!
What's your favorite pizza topping combination? I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below!
Looking for more pizza and flatbread favorites? Check out these 5-star recipes:
- Garlicky Mushroom Ricotta Pizza with Wild Arugula + Aged Balsamic
- Spicy Italian Sausage and Peppers Pizza
- Deep Dish Southwest Salad Pizza
- Maple Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon + Pomegranate
- Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Flatbreads
- Charred Veggie Ciabatta Pizza with Crispy Fried Eggs + Parmesan
- Bacon and Caramelized Onion Jam Naan Pizza with Gorgonzola and Apples
- Grilled Niçoise Salad Flatbreads
Recipe for BBQ Chicken Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella
Print📖 Recipe
BBQ Chicken Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15-20 minutes
- Yield: 2 Naan Pizzas 1x
- Category: Pizza
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Caribbean
Description
Grab your favorite BBQ sauce & a pre-made pizza crust, flatbread, or naan. This easy, sweet-and-smoky chicken pizza recipe will be ready in 15-20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast cutlets (about ½-¾ pound total)
- 1 teaspoon Penzeys Saté seasoning (or jerk seasoning blend)
- 2 pieces of naan or 1 pre-cooked pizza crust or flatbread
- ⅔ cup BBQ sauce
- ¼ pound smoked mozzarella, sliced into ¼-inch thick pieces
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- ½ red bell pepper thinly sliced
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, heat peanut oil over medium-high heat.
- Pat chicken dry and sprinkle saté or jerk seasoning onto both sides of each cutlet (about ¼ teaspoon per cutlet, per side). Cook chicken until fully cooked through, about 3 minutes per side, then set aside on a cutting board.
- While the chicken cooks, spread a thin layer of BBQ sauce on your naan, leaving around ½ to 1 inches clear around the edge. I used about ⅓ cup of BBQ sauce for each piece of naan. Top crusts with slices of smoked mozzarella, thyme, and red bell pepper.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the cheese to keep it from burning, then pop it into the preheated oven. Let it bake until the cheese is nicely melted, about 10 minutes, depending on your oven and the thickness of your cheese. Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn!
- When your chicken is cool enough, slice it into strips. Once the crusts are out of the oven, top each with the sliced chicken and a scattering of green onions.
Notes
This recipe can be easily scaled for more or less servings. If you count each naan as 1 serving, each one gets 1 chicken cutlet, ⅓ cup BBQ sauce, and ⅛ of a ball of smoked mozzarella.
Feel free to use homemade or store-bought pizza dough, but be sure to factor in some extra cooking time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 677
- Sugar: 42.5 g
- Sodium: 1627.3 mg
- Fat: 8.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 94.5 g
- Fiber: 5.2 g
- Protein: 53.5 g
- Cholesterol: 92.9 mg
Lori H
Your pizza looks yummy! I've never had smoked mozzarella, but it sounds good. It's nice to make your own pizza and be generous with the toppings, unlike what my local pizza chains do anymore. Sometimes I feel like I'm just paying for crust!
Ashley
Smoked mozzarella is such a fun ingredient! It's a great way to add that smoky flavor without any grilling or wood chips involved on your part. Making pizza at home *is* really a great way to get juuuuust the right amount of toppings on your pizza 🙂
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
I love a good pizza recipe, and this one looks like a winner! I think I would make it on the naan.
anne
Two of my favorites all in one recipe! Thank you for sharing, it looks delicious.
Kiki Johnson
While my hubby is more of a purist (ahem Margherita only) I LOVE unusual pizza toppings! This one is so summer. Perfect for the last warm days!
Ruchi
Smoked mozzarella? Sound incredible! I like how you used naan bread to make pizza, a creative twist on a traditional crust
Jessica (Swanky Recipes)
The past few weeks I've been updating my game day food recipes and this one is getting added to the list. I know the hubs will love it and we can add our favorite garden vegetables to it, too!
Tammy
The smoked mozzarella is fabulous on this pizza...looks so, so good! I feel like having pizza night now ;D
EA The Spicy RD
I love BBQ Chicken Pizza & this looks divine! Last night we had 10 girls over for my daughter's 17th birthday, and they had the best time making pizzas. My favorite topping combo is: Mushrooms, Spinach, Onions, and Goat Cheese~it's SO good!
Christine
I have a weakness for BBQ Chicken Pizza - Especially with a delicious cheese like smoked mozzarella. This looks amazing!
Michele
WOW! My family would love this for sure. ;-D I'm pretty sure I need to make this ASAP! It really looks delicious!
Kitty
I love Penzeys! It makes evrything extra tasty. But I'm not sure this recipe even needs it with all the flavors like barbeque sauce and smoked mozz! Looks scrumptious!
Karyl Henry
I'm heading over right now LOL!! These pizzas look delicious, and I absolutely love smoked mozzarella. These would be great for family pizza night, date night, or just because
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
We totally love pizza in our household, too! I love the flavors you've got going here with the BBQ chicken and smoked mozzarella. I think my husband would love them too so we'll definitely have to give this a try!
Jessica Pinney
This pizza looks amazing and I love your use of smoked mozzarella! I've never used it on a pizza before but can see how it would be a "game changer". Thanks for sharing!
Nicole
I love this pizza idea. Thank you for sharing.
Amy Jane Sonnenberg
What are your favorite pre-baked naan or flatbreads? The naan from Trader Joe's is good, but it's not on my way anywhere so it's a special trip. Anything from WF or a regular grocery store you would recommend?
Ashley
I love Stonefire naan! I’ve also recently started using Brooklyn Bred - both are store bought, pre-baked, and super tasty!
Haley
I love bbq chicken pizza. It's so good!