I started making this pizza for friends when I was in graduate school. The first time my husband ate this was at my apartment while I was slaving away at grad school. He asked me if that was the time that I fell through a chair and I said, “No I was eating Kraft mac and cheese that time.” Amazing he still married me. I remember it so clearly, my butt went through the chair and the Kraft dinner flew through the air and all over our balcony. Completely humiliating. I felt like such a cow. I mean honestly, does anyone fall through chairs in real life? Doesn’t that only happen in the movies? That story has nothing to do with this pizza except that my hubby thought it was pizza flying through the air and not macaroni and cheese.
Barbecue Chicken Pizza

a Rachel’s Recipe Original

pizza dough (I used this whole wheat version, which was an adventure–it ended up tasting good though)
your favorite bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ, feel free to use homemade)
~3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded (I poached mine)
10-12 oz. bacon (I got center cut–less fat. You probably don’t need 10oz. but I think the more, the better)
half of a large red onion, chopped
olive oil
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
sliced green onions to garnish (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 425* (I’d go according to your pizza crust directions on this one)
3) Cut bacon into ~1/2 inch peices, fry until crispy (in frying pan over medium high heat) and remove to a plate covered with paper towel to drain the fat.
2) Optional: Remove all but ~1 Tbsp of the bacon grease from the pan, place back on medium high heat, and saute onions until soft and transparent. (We like our onions thoroughly cooked. If you are more okay with raw-ish onions, you can skip this step.) You can also use olive oil instead of bacon grease.

3) Roll out dough and place on well oiled pan. (I usually do cornmeal but skipped it this time). Brush crust all over with barbecue sauce. Spread out chicken, bacon, onions, and cover with cheddar cheese.
4) Bake for ~20 minutes until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbly. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving–garnish with sliced green onions.
It makes a lot. We had a little leftover. If you’re wondering why my grill pan is always on the stove, it is because I store it in the oven, so it comes out every time I bake something.
Verdict: This might be one of my favorite meals. It is so good! This was the first time I garnished with the green onions, and it was a really nice touch. It added freshness, and it looked pretty and it tasted great.
Husband’s take: “This is the best pizza I’ve ever had.” He liked it sprinkled with fresh parsley (I didn’t).
Changes I would make: More bacon? Just kidding–no changes.
Difficulty: Easy if you don’t make your own crust. Easy if you’re good at making breads and crusts. I have bad luck. Bad, bad, bad luck. But I’m not going to give up. Someday soon you’ll be seeing perfect pizza crusts, perfect fresh warm breads coming out of my oven. Even if it is the last thing I do.
One piece garnished with green onion, one with parsley. Green onion wins!
What is your favorite pizza topping?