BBQ Chicken Pizza

I am traditionalist when it comes to pizza, though it may not appear so by this BBQ Chicken version I fashioned for dinner last night.  Without a doubt my favorite pizza ever is 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 pile high atop homemade pizza dough, blanket it with mild cheddar cheese, sliced sweet onion and hot pickled jalapeno peppers. It was simply sublime!  Now, I almost go out of my way to have BBQ chicken just so I can look forward to my new favorite pizza, the BBQ Chicken Pizza.

If you read yesterday's entry on Oven Roasted Salmon with Hoisin Barbecue sauce, then you knew that I was saving the remaining sauce for just this purpose.   

Hoisin BBQ Sauce

1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons Asian hot sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar


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.

To assemble the pizza, spread the dough with the Hoisin BBQ sauce or other sauce of your choice.  Top with leftover bbq chicken or other shredded chicken such as a store bough rotisserie.  Place several slices of fresh mozzarella on with some shredded cheddar, sliced sweet onion, 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.