Try the juicy, smoky flavor of Chef Tom's Barbecue Chicken Skillet Pizza! He shares his pellet grill recipe for a pizza that is sure to become a family favorite. Try it today!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- A two-stage dough rise: Letting the dough double in bulk first, then dividing and cold-resting the portions in the fridge, develops flavor and makes the dough easier to stretch without tearing when it's time to build the pizza.
- Grilling the chicken before shredding and saucing it: Cooking the thighs whole on the GrillGrates first builds char and smoke flavor that shredded raw chicken simmered in sauce could never pick up.
- Blending two sauces for the base: Combining pizza sauce with the KC Crossroads BBQ sauce gives the crust a tangy-sweet foundation that ties together with the same sauce coating the chicken on top.
- Baking uncovered, then covered: Starting the pizza open over direct flame crisps the crust, then closing the lid and moving it to indirect heat finishes melting the cheese without burning the bottom.
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
8
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Calories
478
Chef Tom shares his secrets for making fantastic Barbecue Chicken Skillet Pizza on the pellet grill!
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless - grilled then shredded and sauced
-
Yoder Smokers Chicken Rub
-
1/2 cup Urban Slicer Pizza Sauce
-
1/2 cup Plowboys BBQ KC Crossroads BBQ Sauce, plus more for saucing chicken
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces
- 6 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
- 6 tbsp feta, crumbled
- 1/4 each red onion, sliced thin
-
2 tbsp Colonial Chile Oil
-
Urban Slicer Mojo White Seasoning
- 325g (1 cup 7 tbsp) warm water (110ºF)
-
5g (1 1/2 tsp) Caputo Dry Yeast
-
500g (3 1/4 cup) Antimo Caputo “00” Pizza Flour
- 10g (1 tbsp) Jacobsen Kosher Sea Salt
Pizza Dough:
Directions
- To make the pizza dough, pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour, then the salt. With the mixer fitted with the hook attachment, mix on medium-low (2nd gear on the KitchenAid) until a ball is formed, about 1 minutes. Once all ingredients are incorporated and a ball is formed mix 8 minutes.
- Transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Roll each half into a ball, place in an oiled container. Cover. Refrigerate at least half an hour before use.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 425ºF set up for direct grilling with GrillGrate grilling panels installed over the fire box.
- Season the chicken thighs with Yoder Smokers Chicken Rub. Grill the chicken on the GrillGrates until the internal temperature reaches 175ºF. Remove the chicken from the grill. Let cool for about five minutes, then shred by hand or with forks. Sauce the shredded chicken with Plowboys BBQ KC Crossroads BBQ Sauce. Toss to fully coat.
- Grease a 12” Finex Cast Iron Skillet with about 1 tablespoon Colonial Chile Oil.
- Stretch the dough in skillet, creating a crust around the border that rises up the sides of the skillet.
- Mix pizza sauce and Plowboys BBQ KC Crossroads BBQ Sauce. Spread the sauce over the dough.
- Layer on torn pieces of mozzarella, shredded sauced chicken, bacon, feta and red onion.
- Season the crust with Urban Slicer Mojo White Seasoning.
- Bake uncovered over flame for 10 min.
- Cover with lid, move to indirect. Cook til brown on bottom and melted on top, about 10-15 min more.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why let the dough rise once in bulk, then again after dividing and refrigerating it?
The first rise develops the dough's flavor and structure. Dividing and cold-resting the portions afterward relaxes the gluten, making the dough much easier to stretch into the skillet without springing back or tearing.
Why grill the chicken thighs whole instead of cooking pre-shredded chicken in the sauce?
Grilling whole thighs first builds a charred, smoky crust on the meat that shredded chicken simmered directly in sauce would never develop — the sauce goes on after, as a coating, not a cooking liquid.
Why mix pizza sauce with barbecue sauce instead of using just one?
Blending the two ties the tangy pizza sauce base together with the same barbecue sauce coating the chicken on top, so the flavors read as one dish instead of two competing sauces.
Why bake the pizza uncovered first, then covered?
Starting uncovered over direct flame lets the crust crisp and char on the bottom. Closing the lid and moving to indirect heat afterward finishes melting the cheese on top without burning the crust underneath.
What internal temperature should the chicken thighs actually reach?
This recipe pulls them at 175°F, which is above the USDA minimum of 165°F for poultry — a safe target, with the extra few degrees helping the thighs shred more easily.
Why grease the skillet with chile oil instead of plain oil or butter?
Using Colonial Chile Oil to grease the pan adds a subtle background heat to the bottom crust as it crisps, instead of a neutral oil that would add only slip and no flavor.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — the dough, chicken, and sauce can all be made ahead indoors; a hot oven with a cast iron skillet can bake the pizza in place of the grill, though it won't pick up the same smoke flavor.
Recipe Highlights
Two-stage dough rise: Bulk rise for flavor, cold rest for easier stretching.
Grill-then-shred chicken: Builds char and smoke before the sauce ever touches the meat.
Blended sauce base: Ties the crust and toppings together with one shared flavor.
Uncovered-then-covered bake: Crisps the crust first, then melts the cheese without burning.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 8.54 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 478
- Carbs
- 51 grams
- Protein
- 29 grams
- Fat
- 18 grams
- Sodium
- 1684 milligrams
