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BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe by Mr. Make It Happen
TIMING
PREP TIME:
Preparing Ingredients (slicing bread, seasoning chicken, chopping parsley, mincing garlic, dicing onion, shredding cheese, cooking bacon) – 25 minutes
Marinating Chicken: 30 minutes
Cooking Chicken and Bacon: 15-20 minutes
Assembling Garlic Bread & Pizza: 10-15 minutes
COOK TIME:
Baking Garlic Bread: 10-12 minutes
Baking Pizza: 8-10 minutes
Prep Work
The most time-consuming part of cooking isn’t the cooking at all…it’s the prep work! My recommendation is to organize yourself and your ingredients prior to starting your dish. In the culinary world, this is called “miss en place” and it’s been an important component of cooking forever.. and for good reason.
Proper prep will make your cooking (and cleanup) experience a much more enjoyable one. You can invest in some cheap plastic “to go” style containers or buy some small bowls and trays for your prep station at home. I promise you that if you get in the habit of prepping everything like this, it will make your life so much easier!
For this recipe, I’m using thing sliced chicken breast. These days, most stores sell it this way, but you can always do it yourself at home if you need to. We are going to season the chicken with my All Purpose and Lemon Bae Seasoning. As always, feel free to use whatever your favorite all-purpose seasoning is if you don’t have my stuff. Lemon Bae can be replaced with lemon pepper and cajun seasoning to taste.
For the seasoning/marinade, add 2 tbsps of olive oil and 1 tbsp of garlic paste along with the seasoning blend. Get in there with your hands and massage everything into the chicken. You can refrigerate this for up to 24 hours if you’d like, but a solid 30 minutes does the trick. You can utilize a bowl or do it the old-fashioned way and break out the ziplock bag, lol. Either way, it’s important to season your protein adequately and give the spices a little time to work their magic. The end result will be much more tender and flavorful if you can spare a little extra time for this step.
Lay your chicken into the skillet, without overcrowding, and press down firmly so that the protein makes good surface area contact with the skillet. The goal here is to develop some color, texture, and flavor from the chicken caramelizing.
The Maillard Reaction
This is also known as the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is a complex chemical reaction that occurs between amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and reducing sugars in the presence of heat. It is named after the French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard, who first described it in the early 20th century.
The Maillard reaction typically occurs when cooking food at high temperatures, such as grilling, baking, frying, or roasting. It is responsible for the browning of foods and the development of complex flavors and aromas, contributing to the overall taste and appearance of cooked food.
The reaction progresses through a series of steps involving the rearrangement and polymerization of molecules. Initially, the amino group of an amino acid reacts with the carbonyl group of a reducing sugar, forming a Schiff base. This intermediate compound undergoes further reactions, including dehydration, fragmentation, and rearrangement, leading to the formation of a variety of flavorful compounds known as melanoidins.
Melanoidins are large, brown-colored molecules that give cooked foods their characteristic color, flavor, and aroma. They are responsible for the rich taste of bread crusts, the caramelization of grilled meats, and the deep color of roasted coffee beans.
The Maillard reaction is influenced by several factors, including temperature, pH, moisture content, and the presence of certain catalysts or inhibitors. Higher temperatures generally accelerate the reaction, while acidic conditions can slow it down. Additionally, the type and concentration of amino acids and sugars present in the food also affect the outcome of the Maillard reaction.
Overall, the Maillard reaction is a crucial process in cooking that enhances the sensory properties of food, making it more appealing and flavorful. It plays a significant role in the culinary world, contributing to the diversity and complexity of dishes across various cuisines. So boom.. there’s the science lesson for today.
Once your chicken registers 165 degrees internal temperature it is safe to eat. Do not cook it past that temp, otherwise you will end up with a dry end product. Allow the chicken to cool for a few minutes and then chop it into bite-sized pieces.
The chives will be used at the end for garnish. Mozzarella cheese was the cheese of choice today but if you have something else on hand that you enjoy, go for it! You will also need 1 cup of your favorite bbq sauce.
Garlic Bread
Next up, it’s time to prep the garlic bread. For this, we are going to use a serrated blade to cut our French bread loaf in half. We also need to melt 1 stick of butter and grab a little garlic and parsley. Mix together the garlic, parsley, and melted butter and season to taste. Spread this mixture evenly across your bread and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until it begins to get crispy.
Once the garlic bread is about 70% of the way done, remove it from the oven. Now it’s time to build our pizza! First, add the BBQ Sauce (preferably warmed), and then add a nice layer of mozzarella cheese. After the cheese, add your diced chicken and some red onions. Pop this back into the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bread is crispy at the edges but still soft enough to enjoy.
Drizzle the pizza with remaining BBQ sauce for a little razzle-dazzle, and then top with chives. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
Who invented Garlic Bread Pizza? The exact origin of garlic bread pizza is a bit unclear, as it’s difficult to pinpoint a single person or establishment as the definitive creator. However, garlic bread pizza is believed to have emerged as a variation of traditional garlic bread, which is a popular side dish consisting of bread topped with garlic and butter or olive oil.
As for its adaptation into pizza form, it likely evolved gradually over time, with various pizzerias and home cooks experimenting with different toppings and flavors. The combination of garlic bread and pizza, with its savory garlic flavor and cheesy toppings, appealed to many, leading to its widespread popularity.
While there may not be a specific individual credited with inventing garlic bread pizza, it has become a beloved dish enjoyed by many around the world, particularly in Italian-American cuisine. It’s commonly found on the menus of pizzerias and Italian restaurants, and variations of it can also be made at home with different ingredients and flavor combinations.
Print & Download BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Equipment
- 1 Mr. Make It Happen Chef Knife or cutting knife of your choice
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Mr. Make It Happen Skillet or a skillet of your choice
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 3 Small Bowls to hold ingredients
- 1 Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Protein
- 1 lb Chicken Breast
- 5 bacon strips
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
- French Bread Loaf
- AP and Lemon Bae Seasoning, or use an All-Purpose Seasoning of your choice
Wet Ingredients
- 1 Stick of Butter
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
Produce
- 1/4 cup Parsley
- 2 tbsps Garlic Paste
- 1/2 Diced Red Onion
- Diced Chives, for garnish
Instructions
Chicken Prep/Cooking
- We are going to season the chicken with my All Purpose and Lemon Bae Seasoning. As always, feel free to use whatever your favorite all purpose seasoning is if you don’t have my stuff. Lemon Bae can be replaced with lemon pepper and cajun seasoning to taste.1 lb Chicken Breast, AP and Lemon Bae Seasoning
- For the seasoning/marinade, add 2 tbsps of olive oil and 1 tbsp of garlic paste along with the seasoning blend.2 tbsp Olive Oil, AP and Lemon Bae Seasoning
- You can refrigerate this for up to 24 hours if you’d like, but a solid 30 minutes does the trick.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees while refrigerating
- Over medium heat, lay your chicken into the skillet, without overcrowding and press down firmly so that the protein makes good surface area contact with the skillet.
- Once your chicken registers 165 degrees internal temperature it is safe to eat. Do not cook it past that temp, otherwise you will end up with a dry end product. Allow the chicken to cool for a few minutes and then chop it into bite sized pieces.
Garlic Bread Prep/Cooking:
- Grab your mozzarella cheese, bread loaf, garlic paste, and chives, BBQ Sauce, baking sheet and a sheet of aluminum foil.2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, French Bread Loaf, 1 cup BBQ Sauce
- The chives will be used at the end for garnish. Mozzarella cheese was the cheese of choice today but if you have something else on hand that you enjoy, go for it! You will also need 1 cup of your favorite bbq sauce.Diced Chives
- Place a sheet of aluminum foil onto a baking sheet.
- Using a serrated blade, cut your French bread loaf in half.
- Melt 1 stick of butter and grab a little garlic and parsley.1 Stick of Butter
- Mix together the garlic, parsley, and melted butter and season to taste.
- Spread this mixture evenly across your bread and bake in the oven on your baking sheet at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until it begins to get crispy.
- Once the garlic bread is about 70% of the way done, remove it from the oven.
Pizza Building
- First add the BBQ Sauce (preferably warmed!) and then add a nice layer of mozzarella cheese.
- After the cheese, add your diced chicken and some red onions.
- Pop this back into the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bread is crispy at the edges but still soft enough to eat
- Drizzle the pizza with remaining BBQ sauce for a little razzle dazzle, and then top with chives.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
