One of our favorite comfort foods is homemade pizza, so we will use lots of leftovers and fresh vegetables to make all kinds of different variations. Combining leftover roasted chicken, spinach, quick pickled onions, jalapenos, along with our homemade barbeque sauce and fresh ricotta, creates a nice Bar-B-Q Pizza that is easy to make and tastes great. This is one of the recipes in Bob Johnson’s cookbook, The Left Over Ranch Cookbook: Memories on a Plate in the Chicken and Duck chapter.

Bob Johnson

Bar-B-Que Chicken Pizza

Leftover roasted chicken gets a delicious second life on this homemade BBQ pizza with quick pickled onions and jalapeños, fresh spinach, creamy ricotta, and a bold combination of Frank's hot sauce and Johnson's Barbeque Sauce. Easy, creative, and a great way to use what's already in your fridge.

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Prep Time 40

Cook Time 14

Total Time 54

Servings: 4

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

Quick Pickled Onions and Jalapeños

½ red onion sliced thin
1 jalapeño sliced thin and cored
¼ cup organic sugar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup water

Pizza

10 oz leftover roasted chicken chopped
12 oz pizza dough homemade or store bought
4 tbsp ricotta cheese
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
4 tbsp Frank's hot sauce
4 tbsp Johnson's Barbeque Sauce or personal favorite
2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
3 tbsp good olive oil plus more for finishing
salt and pepper to taste
semolina flour for dusting

Equipment

Pizza steel, stone or cast iron pizza pan
Pizza peel
Medium bowl for pickling
Cast iron pan

Method

Preheat and pickle. Place the pizza steel or stone in the oven and heat to 450°F for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together the sugar, apple cider vinegar, and water until the sugar dissolves. Add the sliced jalapeños and onions, stir to combine, and set aside to pickle while the oven heats.
Prepare the dough. Roll out the dough on a floured surface from the center outward, turning often, until large enough to fit the peel and stone. Sprinkle semolina on the peel and place the dough on it.
Prepare the toppings. Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle on the garlic, salt, and pepper. Add the spinach across the dough. Heat a cast iron pan to about 350°F, add the chicken and brown for several minutes, then add the Frank's hot sauce and Johnson's Barbeque Sauce and stir to coat. Remove from heat and spread the sauced chicken evenly over the pizza.
Top and bake. Drain the pickled onions and jalapeños and spread across the pizza. Add dollops of ricotta evenly distributed. Slide the pizza off the peel onto the hot stone and bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating every 4 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown.
Rest and serve. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Drizzle with good quality olive oil, cut into pieces and serve.

Notes

The combination of Frank's hot sauce and Johnson's Barbeque Sauce is what makes this pizza special, the heat and the sweetness work beautifully together. Make sure to drain the pickled onions and jalapeños thoroughly before adding them to the pizza or the excess liquid will make the crust soggy. For a shortcut use our Pickled Onions and Jalapeños made ahead of time. Bob's own Johnson's Barbeque Sauce takes this pizza to another level. For the dough, store bought works perfectly or try Chef Rider's Easy Homemade Pizza Dough from AllRecipes. For the base technique see our Classic Napoli Style Pizza. This recipe appears in the Chicken and Duck chapter of the Left Over Ranch Cookbook.