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Prepare a restaurant-quality BBQ Chicken Pizza at home in just 20 minutes! The easy flatbread pizza includes store-bought crust, shredded rotisserie chicken, barbecue sauce, two different types of cheese, sliced red onion, and fresh herbs. It’s zesty, flavorful, kid-friendly, and quick enough for your busiest weeknights!
Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza
Restaurants like California Pizza Kitchen, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut and Dominos have offered BBQ Chicken Pizza on their menus for decades. The unique and delicious combination of chicken, barbecue sauce, cheese and red onion is a refreshing change from the more traditional Italian pizza toppings. With a handful of simple shortcuts, you can now enjoy a BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza at home in just minutes! This is a great weeknight dinner when you get home late from work, when you’re rushing out the door to various sports practices, or when you just don’t feel like cooking.
The Best Crust for a Store Bought Flatbread Pizza Recipe
You have a variety of options when it comes to a store-bought crust for this flatbread pizza. I like to use this Tandoori Flatbread, which I find in the deli section of my local grocery store. It’s ideal for pizza because it’s thick and sturdy (so it doesn’t get soggy when you add the toppings), the edges get crisp, but the inside stays soft. You can also use Naan bread or even pita bread.
BBQ Chicken Pizza Ingredients
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for these easy homemade pizzas. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Crust: I prefer store-bought flatbread crusts or Naan bread, but you can also use regular store-bought or homemade pizza dough. If using regular pizza dough, follow these baking instructions.
- Barbecue sauce: pick your favorite store-bought brand or use a homemade recipe.
- Cooked, shredded chicken: I like the convenience of a store-bought rotisserie chicken, but you can boil your own chicken at home, or use leftover grilled chicken or smoked chicken.
- Mozzarella and cheddar or gouda cheeses: a variety of shredded cheeses gives the pizza more complex flavor.
- Red onion: thinly sliced for zesty, savory flavor and a pop of color.
- Green onion, cilantro or parsley: for a bright, fresh garnish.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza
This flatbread pizza, and the specific toppings included in the recipe, are inspired by California Pizza Kitchen’s iconic bbq chicken pizza. From the smoked gouda to the sliced red onion and the cilantro garnish — this flavorful meal is just as good as the restaurant version. Best of all, you can easily make the pizza in the comfort of your own home whenever the craving strikes!
- Spread barbecue sauce on each crust.
- Toss chicken with additional barbecue sauce.
- Spread the chicken on top of each crust.
- Sprinkle cheeses and red onion over top.
- Bake in a 425° F oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp on the edges.
- Garnish with sliced green onion and cilantro or parsley.
- Slice and serve!
What to Serve with BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza
Pair the pizza with some fresh vegetables to round out the meal. Try these easy options:
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Classic Caesar Salad
- Spinach Salad with Bacon
- Vinegar Coleslaw or Creamy Homemade Coleslaw
- Cucumber Dill Salad
- Onion Dip with Fresh Veggies
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Roasted Broccoli
- Sauteed Spinach with Garlic
- Green Bean Salad
- Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Casserole
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: You can assemble the pizzas in advance and freeze them for a later meal. Talk about convenient!
- Leftover pizza will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze BBQ Chicken Pizza?
Yes! You can freeze this flatbread pizza before or after baking.
- To Freeze BBQ Chicken Pizza Before Baking: Gently press the toppings into the crust, and then place them on a baking sheet in the freezer for about one hour. Once frozen, transfer the pizzas to large Ziploc freezer bags (or other airtight containers) and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bake the frozen pizzas straight from the freezer, but add a few extra minutes to the suggested baking time.
- To freeze the leftover pizza, let it cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or other airtight freezer-safe containers, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat
Place the pizzas on a baking sheet and warm in a 350° F oven (or toaster oven) until heated through, about 5-10 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Instead of the store-bought flatbread crust, use regular pizza dough to make a full-size pizza. Store-bought pizza dough or homemade dough will both work well. See these instructions for baking a regular pizza.
- I used a combination of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses here, but you can swap out the cheddar and replace it with smoked gouda if you like. The CPK version includes smoked gouda, so that’s an authentic choice!
- California Pizza Kitchen also garnishes the pizza with fresh cilantro, which I’ve shown here. If you don’t care for cilantro, you can omit this ingredient or substitute with fresh parsley.
- Instead of rotisserie chicken, use grilled barbecue chicken, smoked bbq chicken, or other chicken that you boil or roast at home.
- Add crispy bacon or diced pineapple to the pizza before baking.
- Drizzle with ranch dressing just before serving.
Tips for the Best BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe
- You don’t need to measure all of the ingredients — I typically just “eyeball” it. Use more or less of the different ingredients to suit your personal preferences.
- Scale the recipe to accommodate the size of your family. For instance, if you’re cooking for two, cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare just 2 pizzas. Similarly, you can double the ingredients to feed a larger group.
- Grilled Flatbread Pizza: instead of baking the pizzas, try grilling them. To do so, preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Oil the grates, place the pizzas on the grill, close the lid, and cook for about 10 minutes.
More Pizza Recipes to Try
- Deep-Dish Cast Iron Skillet Pizza
- Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
- French Bread Pizza
- Taco Pizza
- Pizza Quesadillas
- 4-Ingredient Dump-and-Bake Pizza Casserole
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
- 4 small flatbread crusts or store-bought Naan bread
- 1 ÂĽ cups barbecue sauce, divided
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese or smoked gouda cheese
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh cilantro or fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Arrange flatbreads on rimmed baking sheets.
- Spread about ÂĽ cup of barbecue sauce on each flatbread. Toss chicken with remaining ÂĽ cup of barbecue sauce. Spread the chicken evenly on top of each flatbread pizza. Sprinkle cheeses and red onion over top.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp on the edges.
- Garnish with green onion, cilantro or parsley just before serving.
Notes
- You don’t need to measure all of the ingredients — I typically just “eyeball” it. Use more or less of the different ingredients to suit your personal preferences.
- Scale the recipe to accommodate the size of your family. For instance, if you’re cooking for two, cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare just 2 pizzas. Similarly, you can double the ingredients to feed a larger group.
- Grilled Flatbread Pizza: instead of baking the pizzas, try grilling them. To do so, preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Oil the grates, place the pizzas on the grill, close the lid, and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Instead of the store-bought flatbread crust, use regular pizza dough to make a full-size pizza. Store-bought pizza dough or homemade dough will both work well. See these instructions for baking a regular pizza.
- Instead of rotisserie chicken, use grilled barbecue chicken, smoked bbq chicken, or other chicken that you boil or roast at home.
- Add crispy bacon or diced pineapple to the pizza before baking.
- Drizzle with ranch dressing just before serving.
This looks yummy & easy too! My kind of recipe for sure… When I try it I’ll let you know how much we liked it. 🙂 I was wondering if the flat breads are easy to find in the grocery store? And if I’m not able to find that brand will another brand work? Thanks ! 🙂
Hi, Tess! Yes, I think they’re pretty easy to find in almost any grocery store (even our little rural store here in Madison). They’re usually near the deli or bakery.
Thanks so much; have a great day! 🙂
So sorry- I see that you already explain in your recipe that store bought flat bread works just fine… Thanks again for all your recipes and website. Really love it. 🙂
No worries — enjoy! 🙂