You know those Sunday nights when you are completely exhausted from doing so much over the weekend? (And perhaps a little hungover after a late night at Three Dots and a Dash?) That's where this Buffalo BBQ Chicken Pizza comes in. With the help of a few shortcuts, and pre-made pizza dough, this meal comes together quickly, which ideal for a lazy Sunday.
Instead of using tomato sauce, I used a spicy Buffalo BBQ sauce. This is easy to make at home. Just combine Buffalo Sauce (like Frank's Red Hot) with BBQ Sauce. I recommend a 50/50 mix, but you can adjust the proportions to make it milder or hotter based on your preference. Charles loved how the sauce had a serious kick of heat that built as you ate more. I added lots of mozzarella to tone down the heat, while caramelized onions added a hint of sweetness. I know you will save time if you skip caramelizing the onion, but it just adds so much depth of flavor. I also added mushrooms and spinach because I think those ingredients belong on all pizzas.
Ingredients
- 1 large White Onion
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Thick-Cut Slices of Bacon
- 1 Rotisserie Chicken
- ½ cup Buffalo Sauce
- ½ cup BBQ Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 1 ball Pizza Dough
- 1 Large Ball of Mozzarella
- ½ cup Sliced Mushrooms
- ½ cup Spinach
Instructions
- Start by caramelizing the onion. There aren't any shortcuts that you can take here. Caramelizing onions requires about 30 minutes to steady low heat. I will be totally honest and admit I burnt the first batch of onions this time around, everyone has a kitchen fail once in a while. Begin by slicing the onion into long half round pieces. You want to slice the onion as evenly as possible, so that the onion slices brown at the same rate. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over low heat, add the onions, and let simmer for 25-30 minutes until browned. Stir frequently.
- While your onions are cooking, bake the bacon in an oven heated to 400 degrees. Undercook it just a bit since it will bake a second time on the pizza. I baked the bacon for about 10 minutes.
- Then shred 1 ½ cups of the rotisserie chicken. Mix the buffalo sauce and bbq sauce together. Add ½- ¾ cup of the sauce to the chicken, and stir thoroughly. The sauce I used was very spicy, so start slow with the sauce, taste testing as you go.
- Butter a baking sheet - this will prevent the dough from sticking while also helping to make the crust crisp up. Stretch the dough out on the baking sheet. Pour a thin layer of the Buffalo BBQ Sauce over the dough. I used a very thin layer of sauce, and it made for a spicy pizza, don't do overboard with the sauce. Add the chicken over the top. Slice the mozzarella and add the caramelized onions, mozzarella, spinach, and mushrooms to the pizza. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it over the top.
- Bake the pizza in the oven at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes, until browned. I always broil pizza for the last minute to brown the cheese a bit.
- Serve immediately. I slice the pizza with kitchen sheers - it is the easy way to cut through the crust and slice a pizza.
