When you live in the country, you get pretty handy at satisfying your cravings for your favorite restaurant food with home-cooked versions–after all, you can’t call for pizza delivery or run down to the corner for Thai food.
Plus, as you’ve found with lots of other activities around your farm or country acreage, doing it yourself makes it even better.
Pizzas are an easy introduction to reproducing restaurant favorites at home, but they also lend themselves to all kinds of creativity, such as with the barbecued chicken pizza below.
Try it–then experiment with other healthful and tasty toppings, and you’ll soon find a personal favorite that beats delivery hands-down!
Ingredients
- 12- to 14-inch pizza crust, unbaked
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
- half of a small red onion, sliced in rings
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
- 1-1/2 Cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
For the sauce
- 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
- 2/3 cup tomato sauce
- 2 T. tomato paste
- coarsely ground black pepper to taste
Preparation
Bake chicken breasts at 350 degrees F until juices run clear and no pink remains, about 30 to 45 minutes. For the last 15 minutes of baking, pour ½ cup barbecue sauce over the top. Remove from oven and let cool; then chop coarsely and stir to coat with sauce.
Increase oven heat to 450 degrees F.
Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the toppings and combine the sauce ingredients. If you’re using a thick crust, bake the crust about 5 to 7 minutes before topping. Spread sauce on crust, then top in this order: onion rings, cilantro, chicken breast chunks, and cheese. Bake at 450 degrees until cheese is bubbly but not brown, about 15 minutes.
