Bar b que Chicken Pizza

I am already aware the Italians would cringe and scoff at me for this recipe. However, good food is good food and sometimes good food is "trashy". Bar b que chicken pizza is one of those foods. Sweet sticky bar b que sauce with roasted chicken, red onions, mozzarella and a flourish of fresh herbs in the form of parsely and cilantro.

I got the recipe for the pizza dough from Everyday Food and I think it's brilliant because it contradicts everything the pizza pundits chant. For one, this dough is ready in 1 hour which is a winner in my eyes and it uses an abundance of olive oil (always a good thing) and it essentially means you can make pizza when you get that pizza whim. Nowadays the body of knowledge of pizza making is exhausting and it leaves you feeling like an idiot if you don't line your oven with quary tiles or try your hardest to create that perfect crispy crust. I say to hell with all of that rubbish! You can make a perfectly respectable dough using this recipe and you will end up with a very crispy crust and a delicious pizza. So fear not, take courage and create your own pizza...the possibilities are endless.

So for this recipe I chose bar b que chicken as my topping but I can be here for hours suggesting toppings. Why not try a lamb merguez/mozzarella topping or go with something traditional like tomato sauce, basil and parma ham. Or you can go vegetarian if so inclined and create a spinach, garlic and mozzarella pizza. Your palate and imagination will be your guiding light but what I gift you with is a wonderful, dependable and most of all easy pizza dough. Enjoy!

Pizza Dough (adapted from Everyday Food)
1 packet instant yeast (10g)
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 cups all purpose flour

1. Whisk together the yeast, sugar, oil and warm water. Add one cup of flour then the salt and stir with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the rest of the flour until a very sticky mass of dough is formed. Don't be tempted to add more flour, this is a no knead dough so it's meant to be extremely sticky. Transfer dough to a heavily oiled bowl then cover with more oil then kling. Leave to rise for 1 hour after which you r dough will be ready to top. To shape dough simply divide the dough in half then press it out to desired thickness. I made 2 12 inch pizzas with this recipe.

Chicken Bar B Que Topping:
2 large bone in chicken breasts
2 stalks of green onions
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 1/2 cups bar b que sauce sweetened with sugar or honey to taste
1 large onion thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
8 ozs of grated mozzarella (not fresh)
Freshy chopped parsley (flat leaf Italian) and cilantro to your taste

Preheat oven to 425.
1. Season the chicken breasts well with salt and pepper. Add the scallions/gree onions which should be chopped as well as the garlic and bar b que sauce. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. After this time the chicken breasts will not be completely cooked but that ok. Let them cool completely then cube them and place them back into the bar b que sauce. Discard the chicken bones.
2. When ready to bake the pizza, top the pizza with the chicken and bar b que sauce. Bake for 10 minutes then top with the red onion slices. Bake for another 10 minutes then top with the cheese and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. If  after all this time your pizza is not a nice brown colour simply preheat your broiler and broil pizza for no more than 2- 3 minutes. To garnish, top the pizza with the chopped herbs. Don't under utilize the fresh herbs, they give the dish a real fresh flavour.