Saturday, January 19, 2008

California Pizza Kitchen Chicken & BBQ Pizza

*Makes two small pizzas

Ingredients for toppings:

2 bags precooked Tyson chicken strips (cut into ¼ inch cubes)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. favorite BBQ sauce (I use a spicy-sweet sauce)


Ingredients for dough:

1 basic pizza dough (cut in half to make two small pizzas)
Cornmeal, semolina, or flour for handling
1/2 c. favorite BBQ sauce (I use a spicy-sweet sauce)
2 tbsp. shredded smoked Gouda cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. small red-onion, thinly chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Before prepping to make pizza, immediately preheat oven to 500. Place a pizza stone or pan in while preheating. Oven should be preheated for a good deal of time before baking.


Remove pre-cooked chicken from bag and coat chicken with two tablespoons BBQ sauce; set aside in the refrigerator.

For dough, use a large spoon to spread 1/4 cup BBQ sauce evenly over the surface of the prepared dough within the rim. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of smoked Gouda cheese over the sauce. Cover with 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella.

Distribute half the chicken pieces evenly over the cheese. Place pieces of red onion over the surface. Sprinkle an additional 1/4 cup mozzarella over the top of the pizza.

Transfer the pizza to the oven; bake until the crust is crisp and golden and the cheese at the center is bubbly (about 8 to 10 minutes). When the pizza is cooked, carefully remove it from the oven; sprinkle 1 tablespoon cilantro over the hot surface. Slice and serve.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients for a second pizza. (The two pizzas may be prepared simultaneously if you are careful in placing the pizzas at opposite corners of your pizza stone.)