5 Star Barbecue Chicken Pizza w/ Semi-Homemade Barbecue Sauce

When you live in America, and you want pizza, most of the time it’s going to come from the first place you dial for it. If not there, then from a local pizzeria that will charge you so much money, you’ll be wondering what happened to it all. Not only that, but nine times out of ten, you’ll be stuck with the traditional toppings like Pepperoni, Cheese, Sausage, Spinach, and all the works of a “30 minutes or less” pizza. The personalization isn’t there when it comes to restaurant pizza, but the way they price you for their ideas certainly is. And that for me, is enough reason to start the first “5 Star Recipe” with my favorite, homemade pizza. With a nice crispy crust, a homemade barbecue sauce, and topped with chicken, cheese, and green peppers… this pizza is one of my all time favorites. That’s right, I said it. This is going to be barbecue chicken pizza.

Remember: Pizza is always versatile and you can always mix and match your own flavors for your own assurance.

GROCERIES LIST – your prices may vary

3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - $3.99

1 24 oz. bottle of Hunt’s Ketchup - $1.99

1 24 oz. bottle of Heinz Yellow Mustard - $1.99

1 16in Pizza Crust - $2.50

1 Package of Kraft Shredded Mozzarella - $3.50

1 Package of Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese - $3.50

1 Green bell pepper - $0.99

1 Red Onion - $0.99

Sub-Total: $19.45 plus tax

INGREDIENTS

Barbecue Pizza Sauce:

1 Cup of Ketchup

1/2 Cup of Yellow Mustard

1/3 Cup of Packed brown sugar (the darker, the sweeter)

1/2 Cup of Water

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan, and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or until mix has combined. Set aside to cool before putting on top of pizza crust.

Tip: Letting the sauce cool is a crucial step. If the sauce is too hot, it will soak through the pizza crust.

Pizza Recipe:

1 16in Pizza Crust (homemade or store bought)

3 Cooked Boneless Chicken breasts cut into strips

1 Cup of shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 Cup of shredded Cheddar Cheese (why not?)

1 Cup of Barbecue Sauce (store bought or above recipe)

1 Chopped green bell pepper

1 chopped red onion (optional)

Step 1- Move your lower rack to the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Step 2- Place pizza crust on a sprayed baking sheet.

Step 3- Ladle one scoop of sauce onto crust, and spread it out about a centimeter from the edge.

Step 4- Top cooked chicken, peppers, and onions. Cover with cheese.

Step 5- Cook for 12 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serves about 4.

True, $19.95 seems pricy at first but keep in mind here that you’re most likely going to have a little extra left over items (maybe some extra bell pepper and onion) that you can save and use in another dish. That alone is saving you so much more money than one may realize.

Come back next week for more “5 Star Recipes on a Minimum Wage Budget”.

If you have a “5 Star Recipe” that you wish to see brought down to a Minimum Wage Budget, please leave a comment or send your ideas to samurdock@hotmail.com with the title “5 Star Recipe Request”.

Thank you,

Stephen Murdock – Chef In Training