BBQ Chicken Naan Pizza

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Have dinner on the table in 20 minutes with this recipe for BBQ Chicken Naan Pizza.

No foolin’! This recipe uses naan flatbread as the crust, so there’s no need to spend hours making dough from scratch. Plus, this pizza is loaded with delicious toppings like BBQ sauce, shredded chicken, red onions, and cheese and only takes 15 minutes to bake (and only 5 minutes in the air fryer). This BBQ Chicken Naan Pizza will woo your hungry crowd in literal minutes!

How to make BBQ Chicken Pizza on Naan Bread

Makes 1 pizza

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 1 prepared naan flatbread (store bought or homemade)
• 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ sauce (try my homemade Blueberry BBQ Sauce)
• 1/2 cup of shredded pizza cheese (a cheddar mozzarella blend is my favorite)
• 1/4 cup of fully cooked, shredded chicken breast or BBQ chicken thighs
• 1/4 of a small red onion sliced thin
• 1 jalapeno, sliced (optional)
• Fresh cilantro or scallions for garnish

Instructions:

To assemble your BBQ chicken pizza, grab the naan flatbread and spread the BBQ sauce over the surface. Leave the edges clean for the “pizza crust”.

Next, evenly sprinkle your shredded cheese over the BBQ sauce layer.

Top the cheese with the shredded chicken, sliced onions, and sliced jalapenos (if using).

Oven Instructions:

To bake these naan pizzas, preheat the oven to 425° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (not wax). You can also use foil, but the cheese may stick a little.

Once the oven is up to temperature, place the prepared flatbread pizza on the cookie sheet and bake at 425° for about 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned at the edges.

Remove the pizza from the oven and garnish it with cilantro leaves or the green ends of a scallion.

Air Fryer Instructions:

To cook your BBQ chicken pizza in the air fryer, set the fryer to 400° and preheat for about 2 minutes.

Once heated, carefully place your fully prepared naan pizza in the fry basket or on the fry shelf (depending on your model) and air fry for about 5 minutes. I don’t use parchment or foil for this. However, if your air fryer basket is prone to sticking, give the basket or tray a spritz of cooking spray before adding the flatbread.

Once cooked, carefully remove the pizza from the air fryer and garnish it with fresh cilantro or scallions.

What is naan made of?

Naan is a rich, leavened flatbread that is traditionally cooked on the side of a very hot clay oven. You’ll typically see naan bread served alongside Indian dishes.

Most naan recipes I’ve seen online are made with flour, water, yeast, a little sweetener, and some dairy in the form of yogurt, and/or butter or ghee. Some recipes may include eggs too.

The biggest distinction between naan and other bread is the way it’s cooked.

Instead of baking in a common closed door oven, naan bread is traditionally cooked in an extremely hot clay (tandoor) oven or over a high heat in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop.

The high temperature creates those signature burnt bubbles and smokey flavor, perfect for complimenting rich and spicy sauces.

What is the difference between naan and pizza dough?

Pizza dough is a pretty simple dough, made of just flour, water, yeast, salt, and some olive oil typically.

Naan is an enriched dough, made with mostly the same ingredients as pizza dough, but with the addition of dairy–such as yogurt, and/or butter or ghee.

Cooking methods are different as well. Pizza dough typically goes into the oven raw after being topped, while naan flatbreads are cooked fully–either a clay oven or a cast iron skillet–before being topped and baked again.

Make and Freeze Naan Pizzas

These pizzas freeze beautifully and are great to have on hand for a quick meal! Just make the BBQ chicken naan pizza as the recipe above states, but pop it in the freezer instead of baking it!

Then when you have a craving for pizza, just preheat the oven to 400° and put your frozen BBQ chicken pizza on a cookie sheet–no need to thaw first. Bake for about 15-17 minutes until cooked through and crisp.

How to serve your flatbread Pizza

These little naan pizzas come together so quickly and are easily customizable, that they make the perfect dish for any occasion! Here are some of my favorite ways to serve flatbread pizzas:

• Cut pizza into wedges and serve buffet style on a cute cutting board or platter for a fun and casual appetizer at parties
• Serve with a side salad for an easy weeknight dinner in a flash
• Make BBQ Chicken pizza the main course and add fun dipping sauces like ranch or blue cheese dressing to dip the slices in
• Serve your naan pizza as an alternative to a grilled cheese sandwhich alongside a tasty vegetable soup
• Set out a bunch of naan flatbreads and various toppings for a “build your own pizza” bar with the family

Reheating Instructions:

To reheat your leftover pizza in the air fryer, set the fryer to 400° (or 390° depending on your model) and heat for about 2-3 minutes until warmed through.

For the microwave, place the BBQ chicken pizza on a microwave safe plate and heat on high in 30-second intervals, until the naan and toppings are warmed through.

To reheat in the oven, place the pizza slices on a cookie sheet and warm in a preheated 400° oven until completely warmed through.

Variations:

What I love most about using naan bread for pizza crust is that you can customize your pizza to fit any craving! Here are some fun variations that I think you’ll just love:

• Use grilled chicken instead of shredded chicken (you’ll probably need a 1/2 cup of cubed chicken in this case)
• Definitely add some crumbled bacon to these pizzas
• Turn these pizzas into buffalo chicken pizzas. Omit the BBQ sauce and toss the chicken in buffalo wing sauce. Bake and serve these pizzas with a side of ranch or blue cheese dressing
• Add hot peppers, roasted red peppers, or diced pineapple to the top

You May also like:

Easy Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower Breakfast Pizza

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

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