Quick story.
When Steve and I lived in the Dominican Republic, we had the choice to fly back to the US for vacations or family get togethers via Miami or New York. Those were are only 2 options. Santiago to JFK or Santiago to Miami.
(Except once we flew through Puerto Rico, and then onto Chicago. I was pregnant with Ryan and I was terrified the entire time we were on the first plane because it was SO loud, and SO bumpy, and SO choppy, that I was sure that he was being harmed in some way. Paranoid first time mother, much!)
And every time we went to make our airfare arrangements, I would secretly hope that the airfare through Miami would be cheaper.
Why?!
Because there is a California Pizza Kitchen at Terminal E in the Miami airport. And because we hadn’t had the opportunity to eat much “American food” in the past 9-12 months. And because we were hungry. Hungry for “American pizza.”
Hungry for this.
So…..needless to say, we’d beeline it to CPK as soon as we hit the ground in Miami.
Probably their most popular option. And there’s a reason.
It’s a combination of flavors that can’t be matched. BBQ. Red Onion. Cilantro.
(Yes, please.)
Mini Barbeque Chicken Pizzas - Copycat California Pizza Kitchen
Ingredients
- Homemade Pizza Dough, made whole or as mini-pizzas
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 1 red onion, diced
- 4 sprigs of cilantro leaves
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese (I used part regular, part dairy and soy free)
- Side of fresh fruit
Instructions
- Prepare the homemade crust. Or buy them from the store. (But homemade are so much better!)
- Cut up the chicken breast into bite size pieces and then add them to a skillet with the BBQ sauce and about 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over medium heat until the pieces have cooked through and are coated with BBQ sauce. Will take 5-10 minutes, depending on size of the pieces.
- Spread the pizza sauce over the large pizza or smaller ones. You don't want it to be too much and let the tomato flavor over power the other flavors.
- Add the cooked chicken pieces, the diced red onion and cilantro leaves. Sprinkle the cheese over top.
- Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, or until crust has cooked and the cheese begins to golden.
- Slice, serve and be merry!
Melissa says
This looks absolutely delicious!
Kristia@Family Balance Sheet says
We have been having regular homemade pizza nights on Saturdays and I think I’m going to make this next time.
Thanks for the link-up.
Ashley @ Savings in Season says
Excellent! We had a CPK-inspired pizza tonight too (Thai Chicken). So good! I love your stories and pictures!
Food on the Table says
Erin, you had me at “CPK style.” This looks even better than the real thing! Can you believe there are 2 CPK’s here in Austin, Texas, of all places? Not that I’m complaining — I could practically live off their BBQ chicken pizzas. And thanks to you, I can now turn my kitchen into a California Pizzeria.
Catherine says
Erin, I really love it when you include little stories like this with the recipes! It’s what gives your blog the personal touch that really hits home. Thanks for being awesome. 🙂
claire7676 says
YUM! But I thought there was zero regular pizza sauce on the CPK pizza, and they used BBQ sauce instead. At least, that’s what I do when I make it at home…. it’s incredibly yummy!!
Daniel Johnson says
Man that pizza looks really good. I will put my cooking skills to use and try to make this at home.
Asta says
I had some leftover chicken, red onion and cilantro (how often does THAT happen?) but no desire to make dough, so I used your recipe as the inspiration for BBQ chicken quesadillas. YUM! I just used some monterey jack and cheddar for the cheese part and left out the pizza sauce. It’s such a good flavor combo.
Jenn says
I was just searching for a bbq pizza recipe yesterday and saw this! I was wondering though, if you’ve ever tried to grill it? Or if you have another pizza recipe that is good for grilling?
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
I would work perfectly on the grill too! I also have a Grilled Hawaiian Pizza that’s yummy!
Amy says
I wonder how it would turn out if you used English muffin halves as the crust. Hmmm…I have a bunch of those in the freezer waiting to be used. I make BBQ chicken (and buffalo chicken) pizza a lot but I use the BBQ sauce as the sauce and also drizzle some on top of the cheese. I also boil my chicken and then shred it in the food processor…seems to make the chicken go further that way. Yum! 🙂