BBQ Chicken Pizza

Did you hear me?

BBQ.

           Chicken.

                            PIZZA.

It's all together.  At the same time.  Land's sakes alive.  I just made this and I already want to make it again.  It is THAT GOOD!  And... Oh.... AAAAAND:  it is quick and [mostly] easy!  Uh... can you say "win for the mama"?!

To offer a little background info, if you are my friend, you know that I am still continuing on this life-long journey of eating healthy, getting fit, and being the best mama I can be.  And as a dear friend and I bemoan on a near daily basis: the struggle is real.  So real.  But it's my tree, and I am doing my best to also live my life in such a way that my sweet ones see the victory we have in resisting and resting.  (But that's another post for another time...)  That being said, I was craving pizza in a baaaaaad way.  I know from personal experience, a little treat is better than complete denial.  So, pizza it was for the Gibson Gang. 

Ah, one more thing.  If you've read and/or followed my blog very much, you might recall reading this post and my deep, undying love for this pizza crust.  But the thing is, I didn't want pizza in 2-3 days.  I wanted it NOW.  So, I pulled out an old faithful recipe that I have used for years.  I honestly have no idea where it originally came from before being scribbled on the back of a piece of paper, but I'm super happy that I have it!  And now I'm sharing it with you.  You're welcome.

QUICK and EASY PIZZA CRUST:
1 tablespoon yeast [I always use bread machine yeast]
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup warm water [If you are nervous as to what exactly that means, take a peek here]
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups of bread flour 

BBQ CHICKEN TOPPINGS:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
Block o' Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
Minced Garlic, optional (well, not in my house... but maybe in yours! ;) )

~If you have a pizza stone, put it in the oven now as you preheat your oven to 475*.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together and let it get all bubbly:

1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup warm water

This should take about 5-10 minutes. 

Then, once you are CERTAIN your yeast has proofed, 
          add in the following:

2 tablespoons EVOO
1 teaspoon salt

Give it a quick whisk and then add one cup of bread flour.  Whisk again, and then add one more cup of bread flour.  With the dough hook attachment, turn on your Kitchen Aid mixer [I don't mean to sound pretentious, but that's the mixer I have and use.  I've never made this with any other mixer, so please don't roll your eyes at me-- as I would do if I read that!]. 

Once the flour is incorporated, you will need to add some more flour.  Probably close to 1/2 cup to another full cup.  So in case you are wondering, you will use between 2 1/2 to 3 cups of bread flour total. 

Allow the dough to mix on medium low.  The dough should begin to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the bowl.  If this is not happening after about a minute of mixing and all the flour is incorporated, gradually add a little more flour (letting it get mixed in) until a soft, smooth ball is forming. 

Let it mix for five minutes, usually on a lower setting so that the mixer doesn't bounce off your counter.  The dough should look smooth and soft.  I usually pull it out of the bowl, squeeze all the dough off the dough hook, give the kiddos a taste, and then carefully form the dough into a ball.  Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with a clean dish towel.  Or it can be non-clean.  There will be absolutely ZERO judgment coming from me.  Stay strong, mama. 

Anyway.  Let the dough rest while you get the toppings ready.  I had some chicken thighs that needed used, so I grilled up 3 or 4 boneless/skinless thighs in a stove-top pan.  I sprinkled a little minced garlic in the EVOO before adding the thighs, added a dash of salt, pepper, and onion powder, and let them cook up thoroughly.  I wish I could tell you how long this took, but with three littles running around, two of which were supposed to be practicing their piano and doing homework, and a hubby who currently has TWO infected wisdom teeth, well... I lost track of time.  [But now you know why I needed that pizza!]

I cut up the chicken (With kitchen scissors.  Oh, you don't know about that?  Get some-- your life will never be the same!  You're welcome.) and grated some Monterrey Jack cheese.  All in all, I think I let my dough rise about 20-30 minutes (if that). 

Then, on a well-floured surface [my kitchen table], carefully take the dough out of the bowl and place it onto the table.  I usually kind of stretch the dough out a little bit, and then I have my sweet assistant help me roll out the dough. 

From this recipe, I actually had one large-ish pizza crust (it filled out my pizza stone) and then three smaller rectangled pizzas.  I also like to make the dough more of a medium to thin crust (you know, so I can eat more! ;) ). 

After the dough has been stretched to the right size, carefully remove your pizza stone from the oven and carefully place the dough onto the stone.  Then, dump some BBQ sauce onto said crust, sprinkle the garlic, cover with shredded cheese, and add the chopped up chicken.  Put that puppy in the oven and let it bake for 8-10 minutes (I really start checking around 7 to make sure it doesn't get too done).  Once it is sufficiently golden, melty, and delicious, remove from the oven and allow to rest/cool for about 10 minutes. 


I usually have sheepish confessions, so here is the one for this post:  I was so excited and involved in making this delightful creation that I didn't even take any pictures.  In fact, the only picture I took was of the single, lonely slice that I managed to resist was left over for my child's lunch.

One. lonely. slice.  

 

And you have no idea how much I wanted to eat it.  Being the mama is not an easy job!