By Brianne Dela Cruz; Gather & Grow
It’s high summer, and all I want to do is enjoy a farm to fire meal al fresco in good company. I’m always thinking about ways to creatively use my home-grown veggies, and I consider this bbq chicken wood fired pizza to be one of my most favorite garden harvest dinners to date.
The BBQ grilled chicken paired with grilled corn, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh garden greens give this pizza an Americana twist in a way that deliciously celebrates our local farmers and ranchers.
This recipe is quite easy to throw together in the backyard or on a camping trip because it’s all about prepping and building the pizza how you’d like. (For example, I grilled my corn on the cob over open flame because I love a little char on my wood fired pizza. However, it could easily be substituted for canned corn.)
Garden fresh cilantro and red onion provide a fresh and spiced flavor that pairs well with the sweet bbq sauce. I used my favorite honey bourbon bbq sauce, which I often use on grilled chicken wings, but using your favorite sauce from the local market is a great way to keep it simple. The pre-made dough, picked up from the grocery store, provides enough to make two 12” thin crust pizzas or one thick crust.
Regardless if you love deep dish, or thin and crispy, this is the perfect pizza to get creative with and enjoy with friends or family on a long summer evening outdoors.
Western BBQ Chicken Pizza
Servings: One thick crust pizza makes 6 small slices and serves two. Two thin crust pizzas makes 12 slices and serves 4-6.
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Total Time: 45 min
Ingredients
- Pre-made Pizza Dough
- 8 oz Buffalo Mozzarella, sliced ⅛ - ¼” thick
- ¼ Cup Gouda, shredded
- 1 Chicken Breast
- 1 Sweet Corn
- ¼ Red Onion, finely sliced
- ¼ Bunch Cilantro, chopped
- ½ Cup BBQ Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 30 coals in the fire pit.
- Pat dry, then salt chicken breast on both sides. Lightly coat chicken breast with BBQ sauce on both sides. Grill for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from flame, and cut into ¼“ cubes.
- Coat chicken cubes with a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce.
- Grill corn over the flame while chicken is cooking. Turn every few minutes to grill all sides until it reaches your desired amount of char. (About 10 minutes.)
- While the chicken and corn are grilling, prep the cilantro, red onion, and cheese.
- Roll/stretch out pizza dough onto a lightly oiled cast iron flat pan. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough, then sprinkle on a little salt (optional).
- Spoon a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce on the crust and spread evenly.
- Top sauce with slices of mozzarella, diced chicken, and thinly sliced red onion. Cut the grilled corn off the cob over the pizza. Finish with a sprinkling of smoked gouda and lightly drizzled bbq sauce.
- Cook for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and crispy, and the toppings are bubbly.
- Remove pizza from the flame and sprinkle on cilantro. Slice and serve immediately.
ABOUT
Brianne Dela Cruz is a master gardener, wild forager, campfire foodie, and acclaimed writer and photographer. From her home in Salt Lake City, she teaches online gardening and foraging courses for modern folks and budding naturalists as well as hosts seasonal community gatherings. Brianne's blog and online school, Gather & Grow, is a community of folks exploring the intersection between nature and personal growth by discovering ways to slow down and nourish themselves with nature.
