BBQ Chicken Pizza

 

Generally, my favorite pizza is the traditional Margherita. Though now running a close second is this BBQ Chicken version I fashioned for dinner last night.  Despite a tough fought battle, without a doubt the best pizza ever is still of the thin crackly crust variety simply topped with fresh tomato sauce, verdant sweet basil and mild fresh mozzarella with a few shards of Parmesan tossed on for good measure.  A while back, however, I was intrigued by the idea of using my  leftover BBQ chicken to recreate a more famous version, I think made popular by California Pizza Kitchen.  My incarnation used smoky bbq sauce, a combination of mild mozzarella and smoked gouda, sweet peppers, onions, and jalapeno slices.  It was simply decadent!  Now, I go out of my way to have plenty of left over chicken just so I can look forward to my new (almost) favorite pizza, the BBQ Chicken Pizza.

 

To assemble the pizza, spread the dough with the BBQ sauce or other sauce of your choice.  Top with leftover bbq chicken or other shredded chicken such as a store bought rotisserie.  Place several slices of fresh mozzarella on with some smoked gouda, sliced sweet onion, sweet peppers, spicy pickled jalapenos and a grating of Parmesan cheese.  Bake in a hot 500 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Let cool slightly before slicing and eating.

Basic Pizza Dough     adapted from a recipe by Chris Bianco in "The Gourmet Cookbook"

1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and dredging
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup warm water in a measuring cup and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes.

Stir together 1 1/4 cups flour and salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture, oil, and remaining 1/2 cup warm water and stir until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour (about 1/2 cup) so dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Knead dough on a dry surface with lightly floured hands (reflour hands when dough becomes too sticky) until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into 4 balls for individual pizzas and put on a lightly floured surface and generously dust with flour. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/4 hours.

To shape the dough, do not punch down. Carefully dredge 1 ball of dough in a bowl of flour to coat and transfer to a dry work surface. Holding one edge of dough in the air with both hands and letting the bottom touch work surface, carefully move hands around edge of dough (like turning a steering wheel), allowing the weigh of dough to stretch to roughly 4 inches. Transfer to a floured tray and work edges with fingers to get desired shape. Let side on tray for about 15 minutes before preparing as desired.