Nate's Cheese Pizza and a Big Kid's BBQ Chicken Pizza

This might be the best pizza I have ever made.  Period.  It certainly was the most fun I've had cooking in a while.  Our nephew Nate was over and decided to help me out.  We decided to make a BBQ Chicken Pizza for the adults and Nate made his own personal cheese pizza.  We all enjoyed a nice homemade cesar salad to round out the meal.

Believe it or not, Nate was cleaner than his Uncle Brian...

To make the most excellent BBQ Chicken Pizza ever, you need the most excellent roasted chicken.  There's no magic here. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with a paper towel.  Then season well with salt and pepper.  You can stuff the chicken with lemon and garlic (or anything else if you want).  I like to truss the chicken to ensure that it cooks evenly.  Place in a 400 degree oven for about an hour or until golden brown on the top and 170 degrees on the inside.  Make sure to let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

You can use store bought dough if desired, but homemade dough is so good:

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Just mix the yeast with the warm water until it fizzes.  Then combine all the ingredients and 2 1/2 cups of flour in the stand mixer.  Run on speed 2 with the dough hook and gradually add more flour until a ball forms and it cleans the side of the bowl.  Flour a board and hand kneed for a few minutes.  Then spread some olive oil in a bowl, add the dough, and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow the dough to rest in a warm spot for at least an hour.  The dough should double in size.  Easy.

For the rest of the pizza you need:

About 2 cups of shredded chicken.  

*You can just roast a chicken breast if you don't feel like making a full chicken, but where's the fun in that?

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup or more fresh cilantro, chopped

mozzarella cheese

about 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

My friends Jamie and Julie signed me up for the BBQ of the month club for a wedding gift.  This is the first of many BBQ recipes to come using the sauces that I am receiving.  Thanks guys!

For the salad:

Click here for step by step instructions.

4 anchovies

1 tablespoon dijon

1-2 garlic cloves (I always use more garlic)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Romaine lettuce

Croutons

I made the chicken earlier in the day, so after it rested, I shredded up one of the breasts.  Just use your hands, it's easier to get a little dirty.

I then added a bit of BBQ sauce to the chicken and place it in a bowl to soak up the sauce for a few hours.  

Now that my dough was made, the chicken was roasted and shredded and the kitchen was somewhat clean, it was time to mess it up again with Nate.  We decided to make a personal sized cheese pizza.

As Nate is demonstrating, the first thing to do is flour your board and roll out the dough.

It's okay if you need a helping hand.

Once the dough is rolled out, spread some marinara sauce on the dough.

Then add some fresh mozzarella (don't use that processed stringy stuff).

Maybe a little more cheese...  A kid after my own heart.

Place the pizza on a lightly oiled baking sheet.  Not bad for a 2 year old.

Place in a 450 degree oven.  If Nate's parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or concerned friends are reading this, no, I did not let him put the pan in the oven!  Come on, I know better than that!

Be patient.  It can be a long 10 minutes.

Wait for it...

Notice the flour on his sleeve in the picture above?  I did what I could to clean him up.  Sort of a lost cause.

After about 10 minutes the cheese should be bubbly and the crust nice and golden brown.

Don't forget to bless the pizza.  At least I think that's what he's doing.

While Nate's pizza was baking, it was time to work on the big kids version.  To get started, roll out the dough and place on a pizza stone (or baking sheet).  Next, add the shredded chicken evenly throughout.

Next, top with some fresh mozzarella cheese.

Then the sliced onions (use as much or as little as you prefer).  You can also drizzle some additional BBQ sauce on the pizza if preferred.  I did this but forgot to take a picture.

Bake in a 475 degree oven for about 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown and delicious.  Then top with the chopped cilantro to finish it off.

Nothing fancy but super tasty.

Thanks to my brother for bringing my apprentice over to the City to hang out.  I always enjoy cooking for friends and family and seeing how much they enjoy the meals that are made at our house.  I don't think that anyone enjoys it as much as my nephew does though.  Plus, he's not a bad helper.

And don't forget to make stock if you roasted a whole chicken.  This week was sort of the "week of chicken".  More to follow on where the rest of the bird ended up.