Chicken BBQ Pizza

Travis and I are having a major "I miss America" phase. We've not really been into the local culture much these days, maybe since it was just Memorial day and now summer in Okinawa is in full swing, minus the smell of freshly cut grass, ice cream trucks, and weekend trips to the lake with plenty of cookouts, friends and family.

Sorry to be depressing, but it works out well for you in the end!
To give ourselves a taste of America, I decided to make a copy-cat CPK Chicken BBQ Pizza, one of our favorites on date nights back home. Easy and delicious, I've made it a few times before and it just hasn't tasted quite right, until I tried adding a certain ingredient... smoked gouda cheese. It was the perfect addition to give the pizza just the extra oomph of smokiness it had previously lacked. UH-MA-ZING.

I am sure there are tons of different recipes for this pizza out there, but so far this one that I came about in my own kitchen is my favorite. I just went off of pictures and google searches of ingredient lists, the accuracy of which I am not certain. But no matter, this hits the spot for me, and along with a beer and watching a movie on the couch with my husband, it's as good as being right back at home.

Just please be sure to add the cilantro AFTER the pizza has come out of the oven, yes? I would hate for you to pull it out and think there are pieces of dirt on the top since cilantro burns easily. 

Your efforts will be handsomly rewarded!

Copy-Cat CPK Chicken BBQ Pizza

A ButterThanToast original

1 ball pizza dough, store-bought of homemade- at room temperature
1 cup BBQ sauce, divided
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 ounces cheddar cheese (about 2-3 slices of the presliced deli cheese)
2 ounces smoked gouda (about 2-3 slices of the presliced deli cheese)
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella, diced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
Black pepper for garnish
Cornmeal, for dusting

Preheat oven to 375°. Wrap the chicken breasts into foil, coating with 1/2 cup bbq sauce before sealing them up in the foil package. Bake about 20 minutes, until juices run clear and chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is baking, sprinkle some cornmeal on a baking sheet, and roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured countertop. Don't use the cornmeal to roll our the dough, or it will get embedded into the dough and you'll have crunchy bits inside the finished pizza. Having the dough at room temperature will help it keep its shape, which is usually some oblong blob. Once you have it rolled out to 1/4 inch thickness, carefully transfer it to the baking sheet and lay it on top of the cornmeal.

If you're crazy like me, put your black pepper right onto the raw dough. This will help it from getting burned. With the remaining bbq sauce, brush onto the dough, leaving about 1 inch from edges all around. Spread it as thick or thin as your heart desires.

Crank the heat on your oven to 500°. This shouldn't take long since it just baked the chicken... Ahh efficiency!

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, sprinkle all over the dough surface. Then do the same with the garlic, cheeses and onion.

Bake the pizza for 12-16 minutes, or until the crust is a beautiful golden brown. My oven insulates well so it was on the lower end of that range. While the pizza cooks, continue the wonderful art of efficiency by mincing the cilantro, doing the dishes, and cutting up some salad for a side dish. Your post-dinner-food-coma-self will be grateful there are fewer dishes to do!

Let the pizza cool for a few minutes to prevent burned fingers, garnish with cilantro, slice any which way you please and enjoy!