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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.
If you’re looking for even more pizza recipes, don’t miss this easy homemade pizza dough, this French bread pizza, and these pizza quesadillas, too!
What to Know Before You Get Started
- 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.
- Instead of rotisserie chicken, use grilled barbecue chicken breast, smoked bbq chicken, leftover cooked chicken, or other chicken that you boil or roast at home.
- 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.
Directions
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 the barbecue sauce on each crust.
- Toss the chicken with additional bbq sauce.
- Spread the chicken on top of each crust.
- Sprinkle the cheeses and red onion over top.
- Bake in a 425°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the crust is crisp on the edges.
- Garnish with sliced green onion and cilantro or parsley.
- Slice and serve!
Serving Suggestions
Pair the homemade bbq chicken pizza with some fresh veggies to round out the meal. Good options include vinegar coleslaw, a classic Caesar salad, refrigerator dill pickles, roasted broccoli, cucumber tomato onion salad, roasted yellow squash, and sauteed zucchini.
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.
- 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.
More Pizza Recipes to Try
Flatbread Pizza
15 minutes mins
Homemade Mexican Pizza
40 minutes mins
Cast Iron Skillet Pizza {Deep Dish}
55 minutes mins
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
- 4 small flatbread crusts or store-bought Naan bread (I use Toufayan brand)
- 1 ¼ cups barbecue sauce, divided (such as Sweet Baby Ray's brand)
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (such as the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese or Italian cheese blend
- 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 the flatbreads on rimmed baking sheets. Spread about ¼ cup of barbecue sauce on each flatbread.
- Toss the chicken with the remaining ¼ cup of barbecue sauce.
- Spread the chicken evenly on top of each flatbread pizza. Sprinkle the cheeses and red onion over top.
- Bake for 10-15 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 have a variety of options when it comes to a store-bought crust for this flatbread pizza. I like to use 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.
- Instead of rotisserie chicken, use grilled barbecue chicken, smoked bbq chicken, or other chicken that you boil or roast at home.
- 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.
Nutrition
BBQ Chicken Pizza 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 pizza crust 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.
- Add crispy bacon or diced pineapple to the pizza before baking.
- Drizzle with ranch dressing just before serving.
- 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.
This recipe was originally published in June, 2021. It was updated in July, 2024.
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! 🙂