BBQ Chicken Pizza

Being out of school allows me the time to make meals that require some extra effort.  Last night we made a BBQ chicken pizza that was absolutely awesome.  If you ever order this at CPK or Wolfgang Puck Express then you have to make this!  I started by making a whole wheat crust and some homemade BBQ sauce.  The sauce is ridiculously good and I plan on making it again at some point for grilling.  The dough makes a dense, sorta crispy crust.  If that's not your thing you could substitute one cup of whole wheat flour for one cup of all-purpose flour. 

CRUST:
Mix 1 packet yeast, 3/4 cup warm water, and a pinch of sugar.  Stir till dissolved and let sit until a little bit foamy.  Add 2 TBS honey and 2 TBS olive oil.  Mix in 2 cups whole wheat flour and 1/2 tsp of salt.  Throw it all into your amazing Kitchenaid mixer and let it do it's magic or knead it by hand until it forms a nice dough.  Coat it with a little oil, cover the bowl with saran wrap and let it sit about 2 hours. 

BBQ SAUCE: (Cutting this in half allowed for enough for one pizza)
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and let come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for about an hour, stirring occasionally. The mixture will thicken and reduce a bit.

Next, I cut up 3/4 of a red onion and caramelized it.

The chicken should be cooked ahead of time and shredded.  (I hope you don't hate shredding chicken as much as I do!)

To assemble the pizza:
Spread the dough onto a greased baking sheet.  Brush with olive oil (about 3 TBS) and a little minced garlic (about 1 tsp).  Spread on about 2 ounces of tomato sauce. 

Top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.  Next, put on the chicken and onions- as much as you like.  Spread the top with the BBQ sauce. 

Cover the whole thing with 1-1.5 cup grated colby jack cheese.

Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.  Hope you love it as much as we did!

sideways pizza

Credit once again to howsweeteats.com  I apparently need to make everything she has made!