BBQ Chicken Pizza
Last weekend was incredibly beautiful and warm, albeit a bit windy. I took it as the perfect opportunity to experiment with something I’ve wanted to try for a while – cooking pizza on the grill. It was definitely an experiment in getting the timing of everything right because we started having some wind issues just after I started, so I had to act really fast and be organized. I confess that the bottom of the crust on the first pizza burnt, because combined with the distraction of a phone call and the necessity of keeping the lid down so the grill would stay hot with all the wind I was not paying very close attention. We sliced off the bottom burnt layer and all was well. I tried again the next day (sans wind) and it cooked up without a hitch.
I love the tangy sweetness of the chutney against the flavor of the sharp cheddar cheese and this pizza feels pretty light because you don’t have all the grease from pepperoni, sausage, or other fattening meaty toppings. I upped the amount of cheese to 6 oz., the original only called for 3, and that felt like the perfect ratio of cheese to toppings to crust.
BBQ Chicken Pizza
I love the tangy sweetness of the chutney against the flavor of the sharp cheddar cheese and this pizza feels pretty light because you don’t have all the grease from pepperoni, sausage, or other fattening meaty toppings.
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1/2 c warm water, about 110 degrees
- 1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp) instant yeast
- 1 1/4 c water, at room temp
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 4 c bread flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Tomato Chutney
- 2 c diced tomato
- 3 Tbs brown sugar
- 3 Tbs cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp Jamaican jerk seasoning
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Pizza
- 2 c chopped roasted chicken*
- 2/3 c diced plum tomato
- 6 oz. shredded extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1/2 c chopped green onions
Instructions
Preparing the Dough
- Measure warm water into a medium-sized bowl or measuring cup (with at least a 2 c capacity). Sprinkle the yeast over water and let stand 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water and oil and stir to combine.
- Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Briefly combine the dry ingredients at low speed.
- Slowly add the liquids and continue to mix on low until a cohesive mass forms. Stop the mixer and replace the paddle with the dough hook. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
- Form dough into a ball and put in a deep oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until dough is doubled in bulk. Press the dough to deflate. Divide dough into two equal portions and shape into pizza rounds.
For the Chutney
- Combine all the ingredients for the chutney in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, or until thickened.
Grilling the Pizza
- Preheat the grill. Brush top side of the dough and grill grates with olive oil.
- Place crust, oiled side down, on preheated grill (don’t close the lid). Keep your eyes on the crust!
- Grill it for 2-4 minutes, flip crust to the other side, brush top with oil and spread chutney over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
- Top chutney with chicken. Sprinkle diced tomato, cheese, and green onions evenly over chicken. Continuing grilling until cheese melts and crust is golden.
- At this point, I did close the lid for about 1 minute to help the cheese melt faster so the crust wouldn’t get overcooked. Cut pizza into wedges.
Notes
Adapted from Cooking Light. Pizza dough from Cook's Illustrated.
*I think this is a great recipe for using up leftover roasted chicken if you’ve cooked a whole chicken. This time, however, I simply did a quick brine on 2 chicken breasts, seasoned with pepper and thyme and pan roasted them. For the quick brine, dissolve 4 Tbs kosher salt in 4 c water. Place chicken and salt water in a disposable gallon sized bag and let brine for 30 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 347Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 418mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 18g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Andreas says
The green onions and the melted cheese look gorgeous on the pizza. I also bookmarked your Orange Ricotta Bundt Cake. 🙂
Anonymous says
That looks delicious…I have always wanted to try and make a grilled pizza. When the snow is gone here, in a couple of months, I’ll have to try your recipe! Thanks!cheft
justeatfood says
That looks gorgeous and loaded with good stuff!
Anonymous says
Drooling here! Looks delicious!! Luvs
Sara says
What a great looking pizza. That tomato chutney is making my mouth water…
Retro Housewife says
We love our grill and use it so much in the summer. Bet you didn’t know vegans were big grillers! This sounds delicious, I think we will have to try it sans chicken and with soy cheese! Rock on!