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Weeknight-style Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Pizza. Fresh pizza dough topped with rich caramelized onions, homemade ranch, extra saucy BBQ chicken, three kinds of cheese, and a simple herb topping. The key to this pizza? Bake it on a sheet pan at a high temp until the crust becomes just a little crisp and the cheese is melty. As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, top it with more sauce, slice, eat, and ENJOY. Trust me, every last bite of this pizza is delicious and will leave you wanting more. It’s the cheesy, saucy pizza that’s perfect for game day.
It’s officially football season! Look, to be honest, I get way more excited that it’s apple season. But in September and October, I embrace football, or at least the idea of it. To me, it signals the start of fall. There’s something kind of fall-ish about Sunday nights with football on in the background. And getting to experience Creighton’s love for his hometown team, aka the Cleveland Browns, is the best.
I just googled to double check, the Browns did indeed win their home opener (first time in 18 years!). I saw some messages flying in our family’s group chat, but I’m sure Creigh is very happy this week.
And with the start of football come game-day recipes!
For me, the fun thing about cooking is creating recipes based on the season, the event, and the vibes/mood that I want everyone to be feeling while enjoying one of my recipes.
BBQ chicken pizza isn’t something I would say I’m overly proud of. However, it sure is a fun recipe that my whole family can enjoy.
And for those reasons, I love it. I love mixing high/low fashion and I love mixing non-fancy recipes with fancy recipes.
No reason the two worlds can’t collide. That’s me with my family, I’m fancy, they’re anything but.
Here are the details
As with most of my pizzas, I use my pizza dough recipe from the HBH Every Day cookbook. It’s easy to throw together and I think it has a great crust! Store-bought pizza dough works too though (Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s both have great options). I know weeknight dinners can be rough. Sometimes simply grabbing store-bought dough from the fridge is best.
For those of you who prefer a thicker crust pizza, I recommend using closer to three-quarters or even one pound of pizza dough. We like our crust thin, so I only use a half-pound of dough.
On to the onions, which my mom, who proofs these posts, will roll her eyes about. But in my opinion, the onions make this pizza. They’re my touch of fanciness.
I caramelize my onions with apple cider. You can also use water or white wine, but the sweetness in the cider helps the onions break down quicker while also adding additional flavor. Basically, the liquid makes caramelizing onions easier.
When you have the onions ready, the rest is easy. It’s basically just assembly.
Use leftover chicken from another night and toss it with your favorite BBQ sauce. I make my own BBQ sauce so I can control what goes in it. But I do love Primal Kitchen’s BBQ sauce as a store-bought option. I honestly use it all the time, works great in a pinch!
Toss the chicken with sauce and fresh herbs. For anyone looking for a vegetarian option, roast up a small head of cauliflower and toss the cauliflower with BBQ sauce.
Grab that pizza dough and start layering on the ranch (homemade recipe is in the notes). Then add the onions, chicken, and all the cheeses!
If you’re looking to add some vegetables, corn would be yummy. Finely chopped broccoli would be great too. For fruit, pineapple would give some nice Hawaiian vibes.
Bake the pizza until the cheese is all bubbly and melty.
When the pizza comes out, add some fresh herbs, then slice it up and serve with extra BBQ and ranch on the side for dipping. It’s very much a game-day pizza, so embrace the messiness!
That’s what makes this pizza fun and delicious. It’s the cheesy pizza we can all get excited about.
Looking for more game-day recipes? Here are a few to try:
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Creamy Jalapeño Ranch
Sheet Pan Hot Honey Mustard Chicken and Crispy Brussels Sprouts
Lastly, if you make this Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sheet Pan BBQ Chicken Pizza
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 361 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3/4 cup apple cider
- 1/2 pound pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup cooked shredded chicken
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup ranch dressing (homemade sauce in notes)
- 1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella
- 1 cup shredded gouda or cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- fresh herbs
Instructions
- 1. Position the oven rack in the upper 1/3 portion of your oven. Preheat the oven to 500° F. 2. Place the pizza dough on a lightly oiled quarter sheet pan. Gently press the dough until it covers most of the sheet pan. Cover and let sit while you prep the pizza.3. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat combine the olive oil, onions, and a pinch of salt. Cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add half the apple cider and continue cooking another 5 minutes, until the cider has mostly evaporated. Add the remaining cider and cook another 5 minutes or until the onions are golden and caramelized. Remove from the heat.4. In a bowl, combine the chicken, 1/3 cup BBQ sauce, chives, and cilantro/parsley. 5. To assemble. Grab the dough and spread on the ranch, you may not need it all. Add a drizzle of BBQ sauce if you'd like, then layer on the onions, chicken, and cheeses. Sprinkle with cilantro. Slide into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, rotate the pizza, and bake another 3-5 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese has melted. Top the pizza with fresh herbs, additional BBQ sauce, and/or ranch. ENJOY!Â
Notes
Ranch:Â Mix 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream, 2 tablespoons buttermilk, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and a pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper in a glass jar or measuring cup.
Recipe for Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Â
Amazing! Instead of cider I used a little maple syrup on the onions! And 450 degrees! Absolutely delicious! Many thank you’s!
Hey Rita,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing what worked well for you, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xT
This tastes delicious even before Baking! I’m sure it going to be unbelievable!
Hey Rita,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a bunch for giving it a go!? xT
Hi Tieghan!
I was wondering what pizza dough recipe you used? I’m really not into store bought ones, would prefer to make it. I have been experimenting with sourdough ones, but would love to know the one you used for this recipe! Thanks! Can’t wait to try this!!
Hey Christine,
My pizza dough recipe is in the HBH Everyday Cookbook! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I made this for dinner last night, and it was delicious! It rivaled the BBQ chicken pizza I’ve gotten from some of the local pizza chains in my area. I used store-bought BBQ sauce and a rotisserie chicken, so it was really quick and easy.
Hi Erica,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was tasty, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
Is there something that I can sub the apple cider with? Not finding it out stores yet..
Hi Celina,
Try some apple juice, that should be just fine for you to use! I hope you love this pizza! xTieghan
I want to make this tonight for the Ohio State game for the family so need a larger amount. The recipe is for a quarter sheet pan. If I have a regular size cookie sheet (a half sheet pan?) would I double the quantities of dough and other ingredients used? I measured the rimmed cookie sheet and it isn’t 2x the dimensions of the quarter sheet pan though, so am confused!
Hi Beth,
I would double the recipe if you want to use a half sheet pan. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
What would you suggest to use other than chicken to make vegetarian (not vegan). I would have put mushrooms if I was going to make it just for myself. I’m taking it to my book club (which ends up being us all bringing HBH food and eating and barely talking about the books) and one of us doesn’t like mushrooms so I want to accommodate. I might just do everything but the chicken, but wanted to add that extra ingredient I just don’t know what!
Hey Christina,
You could use any veggies that you, cauliflower would work! I also have a bunch of other vegetarian pizza recipes! Happy Friday! xTieghan
I’ll bet you could make jackfruit work if you precooked some of the moisture out and maybe tossed it in a little bbq to season it. It looks like shredded chicken.
This was absolutely to die for! Thank you for this delicious recipe!! Made exactly as written (except we threw it on the grill to cook). So yummy.
Hi Rhonda,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a ton for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was a winner:)
how do you make cooked shredded chicken?
Hi Ana,
You can do that however you like:) You can bake you chicken and then shred, you can purchase a rotisserie chicken and shred, you can grill it and then shred. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Your pizza recipes are the absolute best. The ONLY pizza I eat and serve my family.
Thank you so much Renee!
What size is a quarter sheet pan?
Hey Jennifer,
A quarter sheet pan is 13×9. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
You mention shredding & grating the cheeses in the body of the recipe ………… but the prep photo shows diced chucnks of cheese . Was that simply for a better photo ????
Or do you actually toss on cubes of each ….. even parm ?
This looks good, just need to clarify before I dive into it.
Also … the reference to a quarter sheet pan threw me till I looked up dimensions:
9 1/2 x 13″ . Learn something new all the time. Four fit into a commercial oven … voila.
Hey Toni,
You can shred the cheese or use cubes, I love doing both! I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out!! xxTieghan
You can find the barbecue sauce recipe with the search bar.
Thanks Trish!!
Looks delicious! Would love your homemade BBQ sauce recipe
I used the HBH search tool, typed in BBQ sauce, and I found Tieghan’s recipe for homemade BBQ sauce: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/the-best-slow-cooker-bbq-chicken/.
Thanks so much Aimee! Here is the link for the BBQ sauce recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-barbecue-sauce-just-like-sweet-baby-rays/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Looks amazing! Where can I find your home made BBQ sauce recipe?
I used the HBH search tool, typed in BBQ sauce, and I found Tieghan’s recipe for homemade BBQ sauce: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/the-best-slow-cooker-bbq-chicken/.
Thanks so much Kelsey!! Here is the BBQ sauce recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-barbecue-sauce-just-like-sweet-baby-rays/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Love homemade pizza for game days! Can you share your homemade BBQ sauce? Or can it be found on the blog under a specific recipe?
Hey Corrianne,
Here is the link for the bbq sauce recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-barbecue-sauce-just-like-sweet-baby-rays/
I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan