Take your homemade pizza game to the next level with this easy Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza drizzled with Hot Honey Butter. I'm talking golden brown crust, smokey flavor, melty cheese, delicious toppings, and best of all, Hot Honey Butter! Hot Honey Butter is an absolute game changer - it's spicy, sweet, buttery and pairs perfectly with Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza. It's incredibly flavorful and addicting.
This post is sponsored by Go Bold With Butter, who I am so excited to partner with! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
You will be shocked how much delicious flavor Hot Honey Butter adds to BBQ Chicken Pizza. It's so simple to make, yet so flavorful. When I first made this pizza, Nate was skeptical about the Hot Honey Butter, but like usual, he couldn't get enough once he took this first bite - he agreed that it adds a lot of flavor!
When making the Hot Honey Butter, you absolutely have to use real butter. I'm a dairy farmer's daughter, so don't even try to make this pizza with anything else 😉 I know firsthand that dairy farmers work tirelessly to ensure quality dairy products so we can have easy access to delicious real butter.
In this recipe post, I cover all the tips and tricks to making the best grilled pizza, including how to get a perfectly golden brown crust, because nobody wants to eat burnt pizza. And if you don't have a grill, no problem! I also included instructions for making this delicious pizza in the oven.
Why You'll Love This BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Hot Honey Butter is so damn good. Trust me, the Hot Honey Butter takes this pizza to another level. It adds a touch a spice, a hint of sweet and salty buttery flavor that pairs perfectly with the bbq sauce and chicken. It's incredible.
Perfectly grilled crust. Par-grilling the pizza dough helps you to achieve perfectly golden brown crust without burning the bottom.
More time outside. Grilling pizza is a fun way to get outside and spend less time in your kitchen. So turn off your oven and fire up the grill!
Hot Honey Butter Ingredients.
BBQ chicken pizza is great on its own, but when you drizzle it with lots of Hot Honey Butter and grill it, it's a game changer! Hot Honey Butter adds a little kick of spice, a touch of sweet, and salty butter flavor - you won't be able to stop at just once slice.
Hot Honey Butter is made from a short list of simple ingredients that really evaluate this pizza. Here is what you need:
Butter. The key ingredient! The creamy, rich flavor of real butter just can't be beat. So, make sure you're not using margarine or any other butter substitute because the Hot Honey Butter just won't taste the same. Real butter adds a delicious salty flavor that you can't get from any other ingredient. I like to use salted butter, but feel free to unsalted butter if that’s what you have on hand.
Hot sauce. I like to use Frank's hot sauce, and it's no joke, I put that sh*t on everything.
Honey.
Red pepper flakes. Add as much or as little red pepper flakes as you like to adjust the spice level.
Salt.
BBQ Chicken Pizza Ingredients.
Pizza dough. Homemade or your favorite store-bought dough, enough for a 12-14 inch pizza. I provided a homemade pizza dough recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
BBQ sauce. Your favorite BBQ sauce, or even better, make your own! Click here for my homemade BBQ sauce!
Cheese. I like to use low-moisture mozzarella and white sharp cheddar. Fontina cheese would also be great. I always recommend buying blocks of cheese and shredding it yourself because the flavor is better and it melts nicer than pre-shredded cheese.
Chicken. About 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded.
Cherry tomatoes.
Red onion.
How to Grill Pizza.
When it comes to grilling pizza, there are multiple ways to do it. I've tested them all, and I'm ready to spill all the details.
Grill pizza directly on the grill.
This is when the pizza dough sits directly on the grill grate. This is the method I prefer to use when making grilled pizza because you get those nice, charred grill lines.
Grill pizza on a pizza stone.
Grilling pizza on a pizza stone is also a great method. This allows you to get a nice golden brown crust without the risk of your pizza dough falling through the grate.
To grill pizza on a pizza stone, place the pizza stone on the grill grate while the grill is still cold. Preheat the grill, allowing the pizza stone to heat with the grill. Once the grill and pizza stone are heated, transfer the pizza dough onto the hot pizza stone.
Grilled pizza on tinfoil or baking sheet.
If transferring pizza dough sounds a little tricky, you worries! Instead, stretch the pizza dough out onto a lightly greased sheet of tinfoil or lightly grease baking sheet. To grill the pizza, simply set the tinfoil or baking sheet with the pizza onto the grill grate.
What is Par-Grilled Pizza Crust?
Par-grilling pizza crust is when you grill the pizza dough for a few minutes withOUT any toppings or sauce. This allows the pizza dough to get a head start on cooking to prevent a burnt crust and hold up better to all the pizza toppings.
To par-grill pizza dough, transfer the dough onto the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes or until nicely browned or lightly charred on the bottom. Using tongs, grab the par-grilled dough and transfer to a baking sheet. Lightly brush the top of the dough with olive oil then flip it over so that the grilled side is up. Add your pizza sauce and toppings to the grilled side of the pizza crust and return to the grill.
Why Par-Grill Pizza Dough?
First, sliding pizza dough without toppings onto a grill is MUCH easier than sliding pizza dough with toppings onto a grill. Once the toppings are on the dough, it adds a lot of weight, and the pizza doesn't slide as nicely. Also, you run the risk of toppings sliding off in the process. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly possible to transfer pizza dough with toppings directly onto the grill (I've done it), but it's more difficult.
Second, when grilling pizza, the dough burns rather quickly. Without par-grilling, you run the risk of burning the bottom of the pizza before the toppings are warmed through and crust is fully cooked.
Can I Make the Pizza in the Oven?
Yes, most certainly! There are couple ways to make this pizza in the oven.
Pizza stone. Place the pizza stone into a cold oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. While the oven heats, prepare your dough by stretching/rolling it into a 12 inch circle on a floured surface. Transfer the dough to a pizza peel that is sprinkled generously with corn meal or semolina flour so it slides nicely off the peel. Add all the sauce and toppings and slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes.
Baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet then stretch/roll the dough to fit the baking sheet. Add all the sauce and toppings and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Grilled Pizza Tips & Tricks.
Transferring Pizza Dough to the Grill.
Grilling pizza is actually quite easy, but you need to use the right tools to achieve success. To transfer the dough, you can use a pizza peel, cutting board or rimless baking sheet.
Also very important, use corn meal, semolina flour or lots of all-purpose flour to dust the pizza peel, cutting board or baking sheet so that they dough doesn't stick when you are transferring it to the grill. This is crucial. Corn meal and semolina flour also add a nice crunch to the pizza crust, like you get when you order take-out pizza.
Can I Grill the Pizza on a Sheet Pan?
If you want to keep things easy and simple, you can grill the pizza on a sheet pan.
Stretch/roll the dough out on a lightly greased sheet pan. Grill the dough on the sheet pan for 2-3 minutes to par-grill the crust, then remove the sheet pan with the dough to a work surface. Brush olive oil on the top of the dough, flip it over and add the sauce and toppings to the grilled side of the dough. Return the pizza to the grill on the sheet pan, and grill until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Use Indirect Heat.
I recommend using indirect heat when grilling pizza. This means no flames are coming in contact with the pizza.
I use a pellet grill, and to grill pizza, I close the flame broiler so that there aren't any open flames touching the crust. The grill essentially acts as a very hot oven. When grilling over direct heat with open flames, the crust can very quickly burn, so keep this in mind.
If using a charcoal or gas grill, only light half of the grill and grill the pizza on the side of the grill without flames. Or if the flames are low, then grilling over direct heat may be okay.
What to Serve with Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza.
If you make this recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate the recipe below using the stars or leave a comment. If you’re on Instagram, share a picture of the food you created and tag me at Modern Farmhouse Eats! I love seeing all the pictures! 😊
Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza with Hot Honey Butter
Ingredients
- 1 12-14 inch store-bought or homemade pizza dough (recipe follows)
- ½ cup BBQ sauce
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup mozarella cheese, shredded
- ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons hot sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- olive oil
- all-purpose flour
- semonlina flour or corn meal
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 450 degrees F.
- Generously sprinkle a work surface with all-purpose flour. Stretch/roll the pizza dough into a 12-14 inch circle. Transfer the shaped dough to a pizza peel that is generously sprinkled with semolina flour or corn meal (you can also use a cutting board or rimless baking sheet).
- Grease the grill grate by dipping a bunched up paper towel in olive oil. Using tongs or an oven mitt, carefully wipe the oiled paper towel on the hot grill grate.
- Carefully slide the shaped dough onto the preheated grill. Grill the dough for 4-5 minutes over indirect heat until the bottom is golden brown with grill marks and top is puffy with air bubbles. Using tongs, transfer the crust from the grill to the pizza peel. Brush the top of the crust with olive oil then flip it over so the grilled side is up.
- Spread BBQ sauce over the grilled side of the dough. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Top with chicken, red onion, and cherry tomatoes. Return to the grill over indirect heat. Grill until the crust is golden brown and cheese is melted, about 5-10 minutes.
- While the pizza cooks, make the hot honey butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat together the butter, honey, hot sauce, salt, and red pepper flakes, stirring often, until heated through and combined.
- Remove the pizza from the grill and drizzle with lots of hot honey butter. Slice and enjoy!
Easy Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup warm water (110 - 115 degrees F)
- 1 packet active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast and honey. Let side for about 5 minutes until dissolved. Using a spoon, stir in the melted butter then the flour and salt until combined but shaggy.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surfce sprinkled with all-purpose flour. Form into a ball then knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth. Sprinkle more flour on the work surface as needed. The dough is ready when you push your finger into it and the dough bounces back. Shape the dough into a ball again.
- Rub the same bowl with olive oil and place the dough ball inside. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours. Alternatively, you can let the dough rise in the fridge overnight for better flavor. Let come to room temperature before rolling out.
- Once ready, punch the dough ball down and split into two equal balls for two large 12-14 inches pizzas or three balls for three small 10 inch pizzas.
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