This bbq chicken pizza is loaded with seasoned chicken, melty mozzarella cheese, barbecue sauce, roasted jalapenos, and spiced with just the right amount of heat and flavor. A spicy food lover’s dream.
This post is sponsored by Keygoes – https://www.keygoes.com.
I have a MAJOR thing for pizza. I live in the Chicago area, and pizza is a total THING here. I have at least a dozen very good pizza places within a 5 mile radius. We’re spoiled for choices!
I’m known in my favorite pizza place as the “chili pepper guy”. Shocker, I know. I’m the guy who brings in his own seasonings to sprinkle over my pizza for extra heat. When they see me, they make it a point to bring out hot sauces from the cooks in the back for me to sample. I love it.
I used to have to keep a small container of chili powder in Patty’s purse for such pizza outings, but now I have a Keygoes:chili keychain, I can carry it around anywhere myself. YES!
Keygoes:chili is a great gadget for all chili pepper fans and spicy meal lovers. You can now have your favorite chili powder with you everywhere! Keygoes offers 4 different powders of varying levels, all nice and spicy, just the way I like it.
The Chili Powders:
- Habanero (up to 320K SHU)
- Bhut jolokia (up to 1 million SHU)
- Trinidad moruga scorpion (up to 2 million SHU)
- Carolina reaper (up to 2.2 million SHU)
Can there BE better choices? Dang!
I can sprinkle some Moruga powder onto my pizza, or maybe a dash of Carolina Reaper powder onto my burger or whatever else I’m enjoying out. Or in! I like to use it at home, too.
Like this particular recipe. BBQ Chicken Pizza. Oh yeah!
We may have awesome pizza choices around here, but as a cook, I love prepping food at home, and pizza is definitely on the menu, and that’s why you’re here, isn’t it? You want to make pizza at home, too!
So let’s talk about making BBQ Chicken Pizza.
BBQ Chicken Pizza Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs. 8 ounces, about 2 thighs, chopped.
- Hot Chili Powder. 1 teaspoon.
- Garlic Powder. 1 teaspoon.
- Salt and Pepper. To taste.
- Olive Oil. 1 tablespoon.
- Favorite Barbecue Sauce. 1 cup.
- Jalapeno Peppers. 1-2, roasted (roasting instructions are below) and sliced.
- Medium Tomato. 1, sliced (or use sliced cherry tomatoes).
- Flatbread Pizza Crust. 1 12- inch.
- Mozzarella Cheese. 4 ounces, shredded.
- Superhot Chili Powder. For sprinkling, optional.
BBQ Chicken Pizza - the Recipe Method
The first thing we need to do is cook up our chicken. I’m using chicken thighs because they have a slightly higher fat content and they won’t dry out as you cook your pizza. Leaner chicken breast has a tendency to dry out a bit sometimes.
Chop it up, toss it with your blend of seasonings, then cook them down a few minutes in a hot oiled pan until they are cooked through.
Add in about a quarter cup of your favorite bbq sauce – I used this great Homemade Honey-BBQ Sauce Recipe – and stir to evenly coat the chicken.
Set a 12-inch flatbread onto a baking sheet or pizza stone. I grabbed these light flatbreads because they get nice and crispy, but you can use any homemade flatbread or a store bought pizza crust.
Layer the chicken over the flatbread, then top it with the rest of your honey-bbq sauce.
Next, top the pizza with layers of sliced tomato, melty mozzarella cheese, and sliced roasted jalapeno peppers.
Here are the steps:
Roasting Jalapeno Peppers
I have information here on How to Roast Chili Peppers, but my favorite way is to roast them right on the stove over an open flame. It is super easy.
Set the jalapeno pepper onto your stovetop burner and turn on the flame. Like so.
The skin will start to bubble up and eventually char. Turn the jalapeno every 30 seconds or so to let the skins char up evenly.
After a few minutes, it will look like this:
Remove it from the heat and let it cool. I like to wrap it lightly in a paper towel to help the steam from the pepper loosen up the charred skin.
Once the pepper is cool enough to handle, gently rub away the blackened skin. You’ll end up with this:
That’s it! Slice it up and layer the slices onto your pizza.
Cooking Your BBQ Chicken Pizza
Now that the pizza is assembled, let’s cook it up! Heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Before you place the pizza into the oven, give it a few sprinkles from your Keygoes keychain. Let’s spice this baby up!
Bake the pizza for about 6-7 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted. Like so.
Just about done! All we have left to do is slice this baby up and dig in! It looks great, doesn’t it?
Pro Tip for a Crispy Pizza Crust
Depending on the type of crust you’re using, I like to heat up a pizza stone in the oven for about 10 minutes before baking the pizza. It gets nice and hot. Just slide your pizza onto the stone and let it bake until the cheese is nice and melty.
Great way to achieve a nice and crispy crust!
I’m ready to dig in!
Don’t forget to add a few more sprinkles of chili powder. I always do. What can I say? I’m a crazy chilihead! It’s how I roll.
That’s it, my friends! BBQ Chicken Pizza at its finest! We chowed this pizza down for lunch and I was a bit sad that I didn’t make more.
SO GOOD!
Thanks to Keygoes for helping to really spice up my world. I hope you’ll check them out. Great product.
Try this with my Spicy BBQ Chicken Marinade recipe, too.
Storage & Leftovers
Storing your BBQ Chicken Pizza in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 3-4 days. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate it promptly.
More Spicy Pizza Recipes
Patty’s Perspective
I love the crispy crust on this homemade pizza. I’m going order up Mike some extra Keygoes because I like having the extra room in my purse!
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Order Keygoes
Get yourself a Keygoes keychain! Shipping is FREE for Prime Members! Spice things up!
Keygoes Web Site: https://www.keygoes.com.
BBQ Chicken Pizza – Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chicken thighs about 2 thighs, chopped
- 1 teaspoon hot chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup favorite barbecue sauce
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers roasted (roasting instructions are below) and sliced
- 1 medium tomato sliced (or use sliced cherry tomatoes)
- 1 12- inch flatbread pizza crust
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- Superhot chili powder for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Heat a pan to medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Season the chicken with chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook them about 6-7 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add about ¼ cup of the barbecue sauce and stir until warmed.
- Spread the chicken over the flatbread pizza crust and top with sliced tomato.
- While the chicken is cooking, roast the jalapeno pepper over an open flame, turning often, until the skin blackens and chars up. Remove and cool enough to handle. Peel off the charred skins, then slice the jalapeno into rings. Add them to the pizza.
- Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. and bake the pizza for 6-7 minutes, until the cheese is melted through.
- Slice and serve with your spicy chili powder.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Lou says
Hello Mike, I made this pizza with a smoked turkey that was smoked with oak. fresh pizza base from scratch. Besides carmelizing the onions I added some bell peppers to the mix. I heated things up with some to that "creamy jalapeno sauce" that I had on hand (mixed that into the BBQ sauce and then mixed into the turkey). Tasted great! Will make again!
Mike Hultquist says
That sounds AWESOME, Lou! Wish I had a slice of that!
Lou says
Well come on down Mike! In the summer we smoke poolside while experiencing 95 degree heat... and during the rainy season at times we pop up a canopy to keep the rain off the hot smoker. A fan to blow the smoke from underneath the canopy so you don't choke to death. Of course, some sipping spirits to make it all go down! lol
Mike Hultquist says
Haha, sounds awesome to me!! Great times!
Karly says
You do love your hot stuff! This pizza looks delicious! So hot and crispy!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Karly! I love pizza for sure!