California Pizza Kitchen Original BBQ Chicken Pizza

Submitted by JackieOhNo!

"In 1985, attorneys Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield traded in their private practice, which included defending mob bosses and union officials, for a specialty pizza chain. These two "amateur chefs" say they were influenced by Wolfgang Puck, whose Spago restaurant in Los Angeles was the first to create pizza with unusual toppings. Now they have developed a niche somewhere between gourmet food and traditional Italian-style pizzas, creating what one magazine described as "designer pizza at off-the-rack prices." In addition to the pastas, soups, and salads, California Pizza Kitchen offers dozens of unique pizza creations that reflect the current trends in dining. When Cajun food was in style, the Cajun chicken pizza was a top seller; today that item has been replaced with Southwestern and Thai pizza varieties. As the menu explains, the Barbecued Chicken Pizza was one of the first pizzas served at California Pizza Kitchen. Decades later it remains one of the top-selling pizza creations. You can use this recipe to make your pizza with pre-made or packaged dough, but I highly recommend taking the time to make the dough yourself. you'll find that its well worth the little bit of extra work. Prep time does not include dough preparation time, since this is done the day before."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 45mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 2

ingredients

• The Dough

• 1⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees F)
• 3⁄4 teaspoon yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 tablespoon olive oil

• The Topping

• 1 boneless chicken breast fillet
• 1⁄2 cup bull's-eye original barbecue sauce
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1⁄2 cup grated smoked gouda cheese
• 1⁄2 cup sliced red onion
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

directions

1. If you are making a homemade crust, start the dough one day before you plan to serve the pizza. In a small bowl or measuring cup dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let it sit for 5 minutes until the surface of the mixture turns foamy. (If it doesn't foam the yeast was too old -- i.e., dead -- or the water was too hot -- i.e., you killed it. Try again.) Sift together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Make a depression in the flour and pour in the olive oil and yeast mixture. Use a fork to stir the liquid, gradually drawing in more flour as you stir, until all the ingredients are combined. When you can no longer stir with a fork, use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Knead the dough with the heels of your hands on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes, or until the texture of the dough is smooth. Form the dough back into a ball, coat it lightly with oil, and place it into a clean bowl covered with plastic wrap. Keep the bowl in a warm place for about 2 hours to allow the dough to double in size. Punch down the dough and put it back into the covered bowl and into your refrigerator overnight. Take the dough from the refrigerator 2 to 3 hours before you plan to build the pizza so that the dough can warm up to room temperature.
2. Cut the chicken breast into bite-size cubes and marinate it in 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
3. When the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Heat a small frying pan on your stove with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil in it. Saute the chicken in the pan for about 3 to 4 minutes or until done.
4. Form the dough into a ball and roll it out on a floured surface until very thin and 10 inches in diameter. Put your pizza crust onto a baking sheet or pizza pan, and spread the remaining 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce evenly over the pizza crust.
5. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella and all of the Gouda cheese over the sauce.
6. Add the chicken next.
7. The red onion goes next.
8. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella around the center of the pizza.
9. Cilantro goes on top of the mozzarella.
10. Bake the pizza for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust is light brown.
11. When the pizza is done, remove it from the oven and make 4 even cuts across the pie. This will give you 8 slices.