B.A. Gourmet Favorite: BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is the recipe that started it all, the first thing I ever learned to cook for myself in college. I really believe that it's the perfect student meal, based on three outstanding principles. First, it's incredibly easy to make. The ingredient list is minimal and everything is pre-cooked. Second, it's quick. After the first couple times you make it, the entire process shouldn't take much longer than 20 minutes. Third, it's pizza!

BBQ chicken pizza has been a hit with everyone I've made it for. My former roommates have often requested it and gone as far as to purchase the supplies for it. If you are currently in college, do yourself a favor and make this tonight. You won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 Boboli Pizza Crust

1 Package of Purdue Short-Cuts Chicken Breast

Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (There's really no reason to ever buy any other brand, trust me)

Shredded Cheese (Mexican Blend)

Optional:

1/4 of an Onion

Small Handful of Sliced Button Mushrooms

Steps/Analysis:

The bare bones recipe is delicious by itself, so, by all means, ignore the onion and mushrooms if you're just getting a handle on the pizza or if you're exceptionally pressed for time. I find, though, that their inclusion really bumps the dish up to a whole different level.

Preheat your oven to 415 degrees. I like to prep the pizza crust by putting it in the oven by itself for about ten minutes. That's going to crisp it up a little bit and make it a firmer foundation for a pile of barbecue goodness to rest upon.

Dice the onion and give the mushrooms a rough chop. Saute together in a little olive oil until the onions are a golden brown and set aside.

In a bowl, deposit your chicken and douse it with the Sweet Baby Ray's. Mix with a fork until each piece has a nice layer of sauce. (When you get good enough, I've found it's actually possible to complete this step right on the pizza crust, so you won't even have to clean a bowl afterwards.)

You can spread the chicken over the crust at this point, but I like to add a base coat of barbecue sauce first. There's no reason to skimp. With your chicken in place, you can spoon the onions and mushrooms on top and then cover everything with fistfuls of shredded cheese.

Place the pizza on a baking dish or pizza stone and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is nice and melty.

Serving/Notes:

Fight the urge to immediately cut the pie into slices. If you wait a few minutes for everything to set up, the process is going to be much easier and less messy. I like a little hot sauce on my slice, but that's true of just about everything I cook, so suit yourself.

This dish reheats incredibly well the next day, too. As a matter of fact, I think it's pretty tasty cold, out of the fridge as a midnight snack. There's no bad way or time to eat it.

Once you have this basic recipe down, it's easy to play around with it and make all kinds of interesting pizzas. You might remember the Mexican Pizza I wrote about some weeks ago. I've also done a Buffalo chicken pizza that rocks my socks off. I plan on sharing that gem with you next week.