This pizza is deliciously creamy and tangy! Use your favorite barbecue sauce, and don't skip on the jalapeño! It adds great, fresh flavor to this rich pizza.
Ingredients
1cmozzarella, shredded
1cwhite sharp cheddar, shredded
3-4BBQ marinated chicken thighs, cooked and roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 525 degrees F and place a pizza stone on the center rack to heat—you want this very hot, in order to get a good, crunchy bottom crust. Preheat the oven at least 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake your pizza.
Add pancetta to a cold, small skillet. Heat over medium-low and allow the fat to render slowly, cook for 4-5 minutes or until slightly browned and crisp, then remove from pan using a slotted spoon. Add the jalapeño to the pan and cook over medium heat until softened—3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, add to the drained pancetta and set aside.
In a small saucepan, make the BBQ Béchamel. Melt 1 Tbsp butter over medium-low heat, then add the flour. Cook for about 1 minute, then stream in the milk, stirring frequently until smooth. Add salt to taste, about 1/2 tsp, and continue stirring until the béchamel thickens—3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the barbecue sauce. Cover with wax paper and set aside.
Roll out your pizza dough into a 10-12’’ diameter circle. Sprinkle semolina flour onto a pizza peel? or onto the back of a large baking sheet—use a generous amount to ensure the pizza slides off easily.
Place dough onto the cookie sheet or peel? and begin assembling. Brush the outer 1-2’’ of dough with olive oil, then spread the béchamel, leaving 1-2’’ of crust exposed. Add the chopped chicken, pancetta, and jalapeño. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese.
Slide the pizza onto the hot baking stone and reduce the heat to 500 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese has lightly browned and the crust is bubbled and golden.
Remove from the oven and rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving hot.