This homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe is a tasty California Pizza Kitchen copycat recipe that is easy to make and tastes just like the original! 

BBQ Chicken Pizza before it's cut.

I love me some CPK! Their traditional and non-traditional pizzas are really delicious. I’ve tried different recipes that were supposed to mimic CPK’s classic BBQ Chicken Pizza and they all fell short in one way or another. This lead me to start testing my own recipe, and I finally nailed it! 

We usually have Friday night pizza night at our house. Instead of cooking up my perfect homemade pizza recipe every week, sometimes I just want to mix things up. Enter this BBQ chicken pizza.

This pizza is the perfect twist on your pizza nights. This homemade BBQ chicken pizza is simply fabulous, and I love the flexibility of making it at home but getting that same great restaurant quality taste. 

2 slices of BBQ chicken pizza on a plate.

How do you make BBQ chicken pizza?

  1. First, begin by laying out a sheet of parchment paper and brush it with olive oil. Place the dough ball on the parchment paper and roll it out into a 10-inch round. You will need to stretch it with your hands as needed.
  2. Next, lightly brush the dough with olive oil then cover it with another piece of parchment and set it aside to let it rise slightly for about 30 minutes.
  3. Then, put the chicken in a baking sheet and season it with salt and pepper. Next, brush the chicken with the barbecue sauce mixture. Then, bake on the middle oven rack for about 15 minutes until it is cooked through. Let the chicken cool and then cut into 1/2 -inch cubes.
  4. Next, go back to the pizza dough and spread the remaining barbecue sauce on it, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Then, place the chicken, gouda, mozzarella and red onion on top. Place the dough on a pizza peel and then slide it onto the hot pizza stone.
  5. Finally, bake until the cheese melts and the crust is golden. Sprinkle with cilantro and enjoy. 

BBQ Chicken Pizza before it cooks in the oven.

Do you cook the chicken before putting it on pizza?

You definitely want to cook the chicken before putting it on the BBQ chicken pizza. The pizza dough only takes about 8-10 minutes to cook. Raw chicken typically takes at least 20 minutes to cook so you can see how placing raw chicken on the pizza dough to cook will cause a problem. It will just not be enough time so take the extra time to cook the chicken separately before placing it on the pizza dough.

Picking up a piece of pizza to eat.

Cook’s Note :

  • This recipe doubles nicely, so it’s great for feeding a crowd. I suggest baking the pizzas one at a time though.  

Cook’s Tools: 

  • liquid measuring cup
  • mixing bowl
  • airtight proofing container 
  • instant read thermometer
  • pastry brush
  • pizza stone
  • pizza peel

 

The BBQ Chicken Pizza cut into 8 pieces.
5 from 12 votes

BBQ Chicken Pizza

4 people
This homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe is a tasty California Pizza Kitchen copycat recipe that is easy to make and tastes just like the original!

Ingredients
 
 

FOR THE DOUGH:

  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water at about 110 ̊F
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 ½ cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

FOR THE BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA:

  • ½ teaspoon cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • ½ cup barbecue sauce divided
  • 8 ounces skinless and boneless chicken tenders
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 ounces smoked Gouda cheese grated about ⅔ cup
  • 3 ounces mozzarella cheese grated, about ⅔ cup
  • ½ small red onion thinly sliced
  • fresh chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

FOR THE DOUGH:

  • In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the water, yeast, and olive oil until the yeast is dissolved.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the bread flour, sugar, and salt. Create a well and then pour the water and yeast mixture into the well. Stir with a wooden spoon until a lumpy dough forms and most of the flour is absorbed into the dough.
  • Dump the dough out onto a floured surface, and grease your hands with a little olive oil. Knead the dough for 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and a little bit sticky.
  • Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top of the dough and use your hands to coat the entire dough ball in oil. Transfer the dough ball to an airtight container and let it rise at room temp for 1.5-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

PREPARE THE OVEN:

  • Move the oven racks to the upper-middle and middle positions and place a pizza stone on the oven rack. Preheat the oven at 425 degrees F for at least 30 minutes.

STRETCH THE PIZZA DOUGH:

  • Scatter the cornmeal over a piece of parchment paper. Place the dough ball in the middle of the parchment paper and use your hands to stretch the dough out to a 12-inch round. Brush the edge of the dough with olive oil. Cover the dough lightly with another piece of parchment paper, and let it rise for 30 minutes.

COOK THE CHICKEN:

  • While the dough rises, place the chicken on a lightly greased baking sheet and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Brush the chicken with 2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce Bake the chicken on the middle rack for about 12-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees Cook the chicken slightly and then cut it into small pieces.
    Brush the chicken with BBQ sauce.

FINISH THE PIZZA:

  • Remove the parchment paper from the top of the dough and brush the remaining barbecue sauce over the dough leaving a ½-inch border.
    Spread the BBQ sauce over the pizza.
  • Sprinkle the Gouda and mozzarella cheese over the barbecue sauce followed by the chicken and red onion.
    Top with shredded cheese, chopped chicken, and red onion.
  • Use either a pizza peel or an inverted baking sheet to slide the parchment paper with the pizza on it onto the pizza stone in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust and cheese are golden. Sprinkle with
    The BBQ Chicken Pizza cut into 8 pieces.

Notes

Makes 1, 12-inch pizza. 

Nutrition

Calories: 499kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 1325mg | Potassium: 430mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 361IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 281mg | Iron: 1mg

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Picture collage of BBQ Chicken Pizza for Pinterest.

This post first appeared on Food Folks and Fun on August 23, 2012. I have since updated the pictures. 

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11 Comments

  1. christina p says:

    Thanks for the recipe! This was so good!

  2. Thank you so much for sharing. This looks yummy!

  3. alicia szemon says:

    This looks so delicious! I love pizza and i also love California pizza kitchen so I want to make this!

  4. This was just like California pizza kitchen! Loved all the flavors, definitely recommend!!

  5. I love Homemade Pizza and this BBQ Chicken version looks amazing! I so need to try this!

  6. OMG YES. I am so excited for this CPK copycat recipe!

  7. Alexandra says:

    Pizza night is our favourite night in my household! This is our current pick 🙂 Delicious!

  8. This is quite literally my husband’s favorite kind of pizza, so I couldn’t wait to make it for him. Your recipe is the bomb! He loved it, thank you!

  9. wilhelmina says:

    This pizza turned out so delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!

  10. Dara Michalski says:

    This is one of my most favorite pizza recipes! Thank you for it!