Barbecue Chicken Pizza

The way this pizza comes together astonishes me. I think about it and an hour later we are holding crisp wedges of grilled bread. Well ... If you use ready to prep pizza dough, store bought barbecue sauce, packaged grilled chicken and some Gouda, what you have is pizza magic. 

I find all my inspirations at Trader Joe's. This is free form operation. No real  measurements. It is to be a look and cook operation. At home I thunk the dough onto a floured surface. A rolling pin starts me off, but I stretch and pull the dough with my knuckles. The dough takes on an angular shape. Hey!! As long as it tastes good, who cares about the shape!! Grilled chicken, moist and lemony, is slivered. How easy is it to open a bottle of barbecue sauce?!!!!! I work the hardest at cutting thin slivers of red onion!!! 

The grill is flaming hot, along with my pizza stone on the rack. I shake and slide the pizza off the peel, onto the blazing hot stone. It starts to bubble and crust immediately. The lid gets closed as the pizza cooks. Five minutes later..voilà....we have a crisp, chewy round, begging to be eaten!

BARBECUE CHICKEN PIZZA

Make 2 small rounds

1 package store bought Pizza dough

A handful of Semolina or Cream of Wheat

A bottle of Barbecue sauce

2 large Grilled Chicken breasts or thighs

A large wedge of Gouda

2 tablespoons thinly slivered Red Onion

Cilantro sprigs

Start gas grill and lay a pizza stone on rack. Let the stone heat up for 10-15 minutes as you assemble the pizza.

Remove pizza dough from package onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide dough in half. 

Roll out one half with rolling pin.  Then place your knuckles under the dough and gently stretch the dough till you have a 8-9 inch circle. Or rectangle. Or whatever shape the dough decides to take. 

Dust a wooden pizza peel with at least a tablespoon of semolina or cream of wheat. This allows the pizza to slide off easily onto the hot stone. 

Place the stretched dough onto the peel. Shake the peel to see if the dough slides. If not, lift dough and scatter semolina underneath. Shake again to test dough.

Drop blobs of barbecue sauce over the dough. Spread sauce with a spoon. You should have thick layer of sauce. Leave an inch gap along the edges.

Chop chicken into bite size pieces and arrange over sauce.

Grate Gouda over chicken.

Scatter onion slices over cheese. Use about a tablespoon per pizza.

Slide pizza by shaking it in a back and forth motion onto hot stone. If you have used a generous tablespoon of semolina it will side off easily.

Close grill over and cook pizza for 8-10 minutes. Watch the pizza as it cook. Once the crust has brown spots it should be done.

Repeat the above procedure for the second pizza.

Garnish pizza with cilantro sprigs, cut into wedges and eat!!!

NOTES

You can make the pizza in a 500F oven in the above manner. Heat the oven and place the pizza stone in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes before baking pizza. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

We relish every bite as both pizzas are demolished. The free form base stays crisp and crunchy. The crust is soft and chewy. Zesty sauce, grilled chicken and Gouda is a combination perfected by California Pizza Kitchen and is much loved by this family. Imitation is the best form of flattery!!!!

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