BBQ Chicken Pizza

I came up with this recipe after we tried – and loved - a specialty pizza at a local gourmet pizza restaurant. I know the ingredients might sound a little strange, but trust me, this is really good. The original pizza had sliced jalapeno peppers. I make things a little easier by using pepper jack cheese, but you can certainly use regular cheese and add the jalapenos yourself. If you don’t like spicy, this is just as good with other cheeses and roasted red pepper instead of jalapeno. I have used provolone, Mexican blend, cheddar, gouda and combinations of various kinds. They are all good. I have also used the same ingredients to make quesadillas.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
1 pizza crust (homemade, Boboli, refrigerated tube, etc.)
¾ cup BBQ sauce, divided (best with a sweet sauce, such as honey BBQ)
1 ½ cup shredded cooked chicken breast
¼ cup chopped red onion
¼ cup sliced jalapeno peppers or roasted red peppers
1 8 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained (I like tidbits because they are smaller than chunks, but larger than crushed. You can use chunks also, but you might want to cut them in half.)
2 cups shredded cheese (pepper jack, cheddar, Mexican blend, gouda, provolone, or combination – see note above)

Preheat oven to 450. If using a refrigerated pizza crust in a tube or homemade crust, pat crust into pizza pan or onto a pizza stone. Prebake crust for about 5 minutes or until it just starts to brown.

Toss shredded chicken breast with 2 tablespoons or so of BBQ sauce. Spread remaining sauce onto pizza crust. Top with chicken, onions, peppers and pineapple, distributing ingredients evenly over crust. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 450 until cheese is melted and golden brown.