An easy BBQ chicken pizza recipe made with homemade pizza dough, a tangy BBQ sauce, leftover rotisserie chicken, and topped with crispy bacon pieces.
A super quick and easy-to-make pizza, meaning there's no need to pick up that takeaway menu! Perfect for your next family pizza night with my equally delicious pizza bianca!
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We love a good old pizza night here at Effortless Foodie, and this tasty BBQ chicken and bacon pizza has the perfect crispy crust and delicious cheesy topping!
Enjoy with air fryer sweet potato fries, halloumi fries, or cheesy chips!
👩🍳 Love pizza? Try my mighty meat feast pizza too!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
Here's why this is the best barbecue chicken pizza recipe!
- Easy to make pizza and perfect for pizza night.
- Uses leftover rotisserie chicken or roast chicken.
- Homemade pizza dough using strong bread flour which produces an extra crispy pizza crust.
- Cheesy and oh-so tasty!
- Better than Pizza Huts BBQ Chicken Pizza!
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Pizza dough ingredients - strong white bread flour, fast-action dried yeast, olive oil, salt, sugar, and water.
- BBQ Sauce - a store-bought bbq sauce is fine, or use a homemade sauce if you have it to hand.
- Chicken - leftover cooked or shredded chicken, or quickly cook a chicken breast in the air fryer or oven, and chop it into pieces!
- Bacon - pre-cooked crispy bacon rashers, chopped into pieces. I prefer to use smoked streaky bacon for extra flavour.
- Cheese - I use a combination of grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Smoked gouda would also work well!
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon.
Two: Pour in the olive oil and tepid water. Mix in with a spoon then use your hands to bring the dough together.
💡 Pro Tip - use tepid water or lukewarm water that is neither hot nor cold to the touch. This will help activate the yeast. Water that is too hot will kill the yeast.
Three: Knead the dough for 1 minute on a lightly floured work surface before placing it back in the bowl (covered with clingfilm or plastic wrap) to prove for 45 minutes at room temperature (you could speed up proving by putting the bowl in a warm place like an airing cupboard).
💡 Pro Tip - you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to knead the dough (on a low speed setting), but I like doing it by hand!
Four: Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface or cutting board to roughly 30 cm diameter and place on a pizza stone or baking tray. Leave to rest for 5 minutes whilst you get the toppings ready.
Five: Spread the BBQ sauce over the base.
Six: Top with the cooked chicken and bacon pieces.
Seven: Sprinkle with the grated cheeses.
Eight: Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted.
💭 Expert tips
- If you don't have strong bread flour in your pantry, make my easy plain flour pizza dough instead!
- If you don't have time to make your own pizza dough, cut that step out and buy a ready-made pizza base!
- Instead of rolling the pizza dough out with a rolling pin, place the dough on your pizza stone or baking tin and stretch it out with your hands.
- For an authentic rustic pizza base, sprinkle a little coarse semolina onto the baking tray or pizza stone before placing the dough on top.
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil before baking gives it an extra luxurious feel.
- For an extra crispy base, use a pizza peel (paddle) to transfer the pizza to the oven and place it directly on a preheated pizza stone or baking tray.
- The ingredients quantities in this recipe make 1 large pizza (30cm diameter) or you could make 2 smaller pizzas if you prefer.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the pizza at your next pizza night with sides of garlic bread, dough balls, pizza fries, and a crisp green salad!
📖 Variations
- Add sliced red onion to the pizza for extra flavour.
- Make the pizza on ready-made flatbreads or naan bread to save time.
- Swap the BBQ sauce for tomato paste or classic pizza sauce.
- Make a cauliflower crust pizza to lower the carbs.
- Add other favourite toppings such as sliced red peppers, sweetcorn, mushrooms, or pepperoni.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs like chopped coriander (cilantro) before serving.
🥡 Storage
Store: Pizza is best eaten hot, fresh from the oven. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Leftover pizza slices can be eaten cold (I often pack a slice in lunchboxes) or reheated in a hot oven for a few minutes.
Freeze: Make the pizza dough ahead and freeze it until needed. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before rolling out.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Yes you can! Simply substitute the strong white bread flour for regular plain flour. Due to the lower protein content of plain flour, the texture of the pizza dough will be slightly different, but still as tasty!
😋 More pizza recipes
Tried it? Let me know what you think and rate it ⭐️ below. Tag me @effortlessf00d-I'd love to see! Don't forget to subscribe for more recipes.
Recipe
Best BBQ Chicken Pizza
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Ingredients
- 270 g Strong White Bread Flour
- 7 g Fast Action Dried Yeast
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 160 ml Tepid Water
- 3 tablespoon BBQ Sauce
- 200 g Cooked Chicken chopped into pieces or shredded
- 6 Streaky Bacon Rashers cooked and chopped
- 75 g Mozzarella grated
- 50 g Cheddar Cheese grated
Instructions
- Place the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon.270 g Strong White Bread Flour, 7 g Fast Action Dried Yeast, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Sugar
- Pour in the olive oil and tepid water. Mix in with a spoon then use your hands to bring the dough together.2 tablespoon Olive Oil, 160 ml Tepid Water
- Knead the dough for 1 minute on a lightly floured work surface before placing it back in the bowl (covered with clingfilm or plastic wrap) to prove for 45 minutes at room temperature (you could speed up proving by putting the bowl in a warm place like an airing cupboard). Pro Tip - you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to knead the dough (on a low speed setting), but I like doing it by hand!
- Preheat the oven to 240°c (220 fan).
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface or cutting board to roughly 30 cm diameter and place on a pizza stone or baking tray. Leave to rest for 5 minutes whilst you get the toppings ready.
- Spread the BBQ sauce over the base.3 tablespoon BBQ Sauce
- Top with the cooked chicken and bacon pieces.200 g Cooked Chicken, 6 Streaky Bacon Rashers
- Sprinkle with the grated cheeses.75 g Mozzarella, 50 g Cheddar Cheese
- Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Notes
- If you don't have strong bread flour in your pantry, make my easy plain flour pizza dough instead!
- If you don't have time to make your own pizza dough, cut that step out and buy a ready-made pizza base!
- Instead of rolling the pizza dough out with a rolling pin, place the dough on your pizza stone or baking tin and stretch it out with your hands.
- For an authentic rustic pizza base, sprinkle a little coarse semolina onto the baking tray or pizza stone before placing the dough on top.
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil before baking gives it an extra luxurious feel.
- For an extra crispy base, use a pizza peel (paddle) to transfer the pizza to the oven and place it directly on a preheated pizza stone or baking tray.
- The ingredients quantities in this recipe make 1 large pizza (30cm diameter) or you could make 2 smaller pizzas if you prefer.
- Add sliced red onion to the pizza for extra flavour.
- Make the pizza on ready-made flatbreads or naan bread to save time.
- Swap the BBQ sauce for tomato paste or classic pizza sauce.
- Make a cauliflower crust pizza to lower the carbs.
- Add other favourite toppings such as sliced red peppers, sweetcorn, mushrooms, or pepperoni.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs like chopped coriander (cilantro) before serving.
Toni says
This is seriously one of the best bbq chicken pizza I've tried! Everyone enjoyed it!
Jess says
A classic recipe that never gets old!
Beth says
I'm getting hungry just looking at this! I love BBQ and I love pizza. Winner winner (BBQ) chicken dinner!
Gina says
Pizza night got a whole lot better with this recipe! Love the BBQ flavor and of course, the bacon!
Kechi says
Am so excited to try this recipe; I just bookmarked it! I hope to buy bread flour today!