Thursday, August 9, 2012

BBQ Chicken Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella & Caramelized Onions




My wife loves tomatoes …and by association, tomato sauce.  So homemade pizzas is another dish we love to make at our house.  For those of you with kids, this is a great activity for the family.  Plus, everyone loves pizza and this way you can control what goes into it.  I have fond memories of my dad making pizzas when I was younger.

Earlier this summer I convinced my wife to let me make a pizza using BBQ sauce instead of a traditional tomato sauce.  She was not in favor (that is, until she tried it).  Now I have made her a believer.  This is a great idea for the summer.  In fact, I grilled it that first time. We used the conventional oven tonight and it was just as good.

It was her idea to find a way to use all the chicken breasts she cooked the night before.  We chopped that up and put it atop the pizza along with circles of fresh mozzarella and caramelized onion.  It was delicious.

Here is a tip for the crust:  We just use those instant add water types.  But I suggest baking it by itself for 10-12 minutes before putting any toppings on.  You can dust your pan with corn meal if you like, and I suggest poking holes in the crust with a fork to allow the steam to escape so it doesn’t bubble up. 

Now it’s time for the toppings.  You can go wild here – but only in the types of toppings, not the quantity.  Do NOT overload your pizza.  Trust me on this one.  It took me years to realize that my wife’s deft hand was the reason her pizzas always turn out better than mine.  I was overloading them with toppings.  So use them sparingly.

This is also a great way to incorporate fresh vegetables.  You can go for non-traditional toppings too.  I imagine you all have your favorite pizzas in mind already.  So why not give it a shot some night?

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