Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Until a few years back, all my experiences with homemade pizza were... Disappointing, to say the least. With the help of a friend and a few hours time, we created some really great homemade pizza that rivaled or beat anything we could have bought. Without further ado, one of my favorite types of pizza, Barbecue Chicken.
The first time I made sucessful homemade pizza, I brought out my handy copy of The Joy of Cooking and did the whole process - Flour, salt, sugar, yeast, water, olive oil, the whole nine yards. This is still my favorite way to do it because you simply cannot beat the homemade dough. There are lots of good recipes for this in book form or on the internet However, there is a close second: Store-bought pizza dough.

Okay, so that sounds more exciting in my head. I don't know if every local grocery store has it, but I know my local Trader Joe's has pizza dough (wheat, white, or herbed) for $1.50. It's my go-to option for pizza or focaccia bread (but that's another blog post). What you get when you buy a dough ball instead of one of those terrible pre-baked pizza crusts (that cost nearly $5) is essentially exactly what you would have ended up with if you had made it yourself.

LAZINESS ACCOMPLISHED.

While you're at the store picking up your dough, get yourself some chicken breasts, bacon, onions, barbecue sauce, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, brown sugar, and mozzarella cheese. We'll need them soon enough...

Cook up a chicken breast and 4 strips of bacon with your favorite method. I prefer either barbecuing the chicken or cooking it in a bit of the bacon grease. Cut into 3/4" cubes or so, depending on your preference. I like the chunks small, but I don't have to eat your pizza.

In a medium-sized skillet, add a small amount of olive oil and heat over medium heat for a minute. Add one onion, sliced, to the pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (kosher is best, but any other variety should work well). Cook for ten minutes at medium heat, stirring regularly. Turn down to low heat and cook for another twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. At the end of the twenty minutes, the onions should have taken on a good brown color. Add two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and stir. Continue cooking until no more liquid is visible in the pan, then remove from heat.

Seed two tomatoes and dice them. We're done with them for now.

In a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Increase heat to medium and stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat until glaze is at your desired thickness. For me, this took about twenty minutes and reduced the volume by half.

Now just stop. At this point, you can put all your components in the fridge and be ready to have homemade pizza in a fairly short amount of time.

DOUBLE LAZINESS ACCOMPLISHED.

Of course, I'm not one to simply not eat food. We've got to finish! While your oven is preheating to 400 degrees, roll your pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to about 14-15" in diameter. If you're going for a rectangular pizza, it'll fill an 11x17" pan nicely. Let rest for ten minutes, covered.

Once the ten minutes is up, top your pizza with a thin layer of barbecue sauce. Too much, and your toppings will all float on top! Sprinkle half the cheese on the pizza, top with your chicken, bacon, and onions, then add the second half of the cheese over top to hold them in place.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is lightly browned. Let rest for a few minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!