Loaded with shredded chicken, cheese, and your favorite barbecue sauce, this BBQ Chicken Pizza is another crazy delicious twist on homemade pizza. Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner when it’s pizza night or cut into small portions and serve as an appetizer when you have friends over.
Easy BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe
Pizza night is always a hit in our house – I’ve used my popular homemade pizza dough to make so many versions of homemade pizza. There’s nothing quite like a classic margherita pizza and we love chicken alfredo pizza so much. This BBQ Chicken Pizza joins the list as one of our newest favorites.
This BBQ chicken pizza recipe takes our homemade BBQ sauce (or whatever BBQ sauce you love), some shredded chicken, and loads of cheese, and gives homemade pizza another delicious twist. This sheet pan pizza is perfect for pizza night but you can also cut the slices smaller and share it as an appetizer!
BBQ Chicken Pizza Toppings
What’s on a BBQ chicken pizza? For starters, shredded chicken breast, BBQ sauce, and a whole lotta cheese. You can keep it simple or add as many toppings as you like. Below is what we include:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Pizza dough – I use our easy homemade pizza dough recipe for this pizza.
- Barbecue sauce – Use your favorite store-bought bottle of sauce or try our homemade BBQ sauce.
- Cheese – I used both pepper jack and a cheddar jack blend for a variety of flavor and a little bit of heat, which pairs nicely with the other ingredients.
- Chicken breast – Shred baked chicken breast prior to preparing the pizza. Rotisserie chicken also works great for this. For extra BBQ flavor, you can even use our crockpot BBQ chicken.
- Toppings. Pickled jalapenos (or fresh sliced jalapeno), red onion, and scallions are what we include. Pickled red onions are also great, as well as green bell peppers.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza
Making this sheet pan pizza at home is surprisingly easy. The dough needs about an hour and a half total in rise time so it’s fast enough to make on a weeknight too, or make it in advance.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Grease the baking sheet. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
- Make the dough. Either use our easy pizza dough or your own favorite recipe.
- Stretch the dough. Use your hands to stretch the pizza dough into the corners and up the sides of the baking sheet. Let stand for 30 minutes then stretch again. Use a fork to pierce the pizza dough all over.
- Add the toppings. Brush the dough with BBQ sauce. Top with half of the cheeses, the chicken, and other toppings. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake. Place the baking sheet on a hot stone and bake at 450F for 20 to 25 minutes. The crust should be puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven, let rest for 10 minutes, slice and enjoy!
Tips for Success
If you’re new to making homemade pizza, here are a few helpful tips.
- Be sure the yeast is fresh. Yeast does expire and go bad. If, when you add it to the warm water, it doesn’t immediately begin to foam up, you’ll need to throw it out and try again with a new packet. If it doesn’t foam properly, the dough won’t rise.
- Don’t go TOO crazy on the toppings. I know it can be tempting to top your homemade pizza with alllll of the toppings but don’t go overboard. Weighing the pizza down with too much can make the crust soggy.
- Avoid over-browning the crust. Keep an eye on the pizza towards the end of the baking time as some ovens run hot and it may over-brown.
Can I Make Pizza Dough In Advance?
- Store it in the fridge. You can make pizza dough up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge. Allow it to completely finish rising then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
- Can I freeze pizza dough? Yes, homemade pizza dough will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow it to rise completely then wrap in plastic and place in a resealable freezer-safe bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- How to store leftovers. Leftover sheet pan pizza will last for 3 days in the fridge. Cover with plastic or store in an airtight container.
- How to reheat leftovers. While you can reheat leftover pizza in the microwave, I recommend reheating it on a pizza stone in the oven for the crispiest crust.
More Pizza Recipes:
- Cold Veggie Pizza
- Chicken Alfredo Pizza
- Turkey Cranberry and Brie Pizza
- Pizza Supreme Sliders
- Homemade Pizza Sauce
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
BBQ Chicken Pizza (Sheet Pan)
Ingredients
For the Sheet Pan
- 1/4 cup olive oil
For the Dough
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
- 2 packets active dry yeast (1/4 ounce each)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled, plus more for work surface
Toppings
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup barbecue sauce (depending on how much you prefer)
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese , divided
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese blend , divided
- 1 cup cooked shredded chicken breast
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 scallion , diced
Instructions
- Brush an 11×17-inch rimmed baking sheet with a 1/4 cup olive oil. Set aside.
- Pour the water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, oil, and salt. Add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, dust the dough with a touch of flour, and gently knead a few times, forming into a smooth elastic round.
- Transfer dough to the prepared sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a pizza stone or inverted large baking sheet on the lower third rack.
- Using your hands, gently press and stretch the pizza dough on the baking sheet into the corners and up the sides – try to cover as much of the pan as possible. Let stand for 30 minutes and gently press and stretch again, if needed, to cover the pan.
- Use a large fork to pierce the pizza dough all over, starting at the center and working to within 1 inch of the edge.
- Brush the dough evenly with the barbecue sauce, leaving the edges bare for the crust. Then top with half of the cheeses, all of the chicken, pickled jalapeños, red onion, and scallions. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
- Place the baking sheet on the hot stone and bake until the crust is puffed and golden brown and cheese is bubbly, 20-25 minutes (watch it carefully so it doesn't over-brown, since some ovens run hot.)
- Remove from oven, let cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and slice into squares.
