Hey guys, it’s Trevor. We are taking a turn from normal posting habits and instead of Melissa writing this post, I get to take a stab at it.
It doesn’t happen very often, but once in a while I get an amazing idea or make a significant contribution that convinces Melissa that it is worth keeping me around. Since this only occurs every couple of years, I have to relish in my successes when they do happen, because no one knows when the next one will be. I daresay this Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza with Crispy Onions is my greatest contribution to our family to date.
With Melissa being in medical school, and especially her third year clinical rotations, dinner duty falls on me more often than before. Now, just to help you understand, my talents for making food are not quite as refined as my talents for eating it. I am not a terrible cook, by any means, but I am no Melissa. This actually works out well for us because she will often ask me to test out recipes she has written for the blog, because she figures if I can make a recipe that turns out well, anyone can.
Well, one night I decided to make grilled pizza for dinner to have ready for Melissa when she got home. As I looked around the kitchen to see what possible toppings we had, I was set on BBQ chicken, but we didn’t have any red onions, a common ingredient in classic BBQ chicken pizza. When I looked in the pantry and saw we had one sweet yellow onion, my simple mind thought, “Onion rings are good. Why don’t I make those to put on top of the pizza.” Hence, a beautiful thing was born. The crispy onion rings with the smoky BBQ sauce and the charred grilled crust make a ridiculously delicious combination.
I hope you enjoy the greatest achievement of my life, and maybe in a few years I’ll come up with something equally as delicious, though I wouldn’t count on it.
- FOR THE PIZZA:
- Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (or whatever homemade or store-bought pizza dough you like to use), rolled out
- ½ cup cooked chicken
- 3-4 tablespoons BBQ sauce (any store-bought or homemade sauce will do)
- ¾ cup smoked Gouda, grated
- ½ cup mozzarella, grated
- Crispy onions (see below)
- A handful of cilantro
- Olive oil
- FOR THE CRISPY ONIONS:
- 1-2 large sweet onions
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon (to ½ teaspoon) cayenne pepper
- 1-2 quarts canola oil
- Black pepper to taste
- FOR THE CRISPY ONIONS:
- Slice onions very thin (we find it works best if you use a mandoline slicer on the smallest width, but you can do this by hand if needed). In a separate baking dish or bowl combine milk and Greek yogurt (buttermilk can be used instead of milk/yogurt mixture). Submerge onion slices in the liquid and cover and soak for at least an hour.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne and set aside.
- In large pan or cast iron pot, heat oil to 375 degrees, or until a pinch of flour sizzles when sprinkled over the pot.
- Using tongs, grab a handful of onions from the liquid and dunk into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and plunge into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.
- Place finished onions on a plate lined with a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.
- FOR THE PIZZA:
- Roll out pizza dough and place on baking sheet, separating each pizza dough round with wax paper or parchment. Place baking sheet with rolled out dough in freezer to chill. The dough is easier to work with on the grill if it is slightly frozen or cold. You can do this step days or hours ahead of time and just pull out frozen rolled-out dough as needed.
- Prepare grill for high direct heat. Prepare small bowl with olive oil for greasing the grill grates and for brushing the pizza. Prepare toppings, except for the crispy onions and cilantro, so they are ready to go on the pizza--BBQ sauce, chicken and cheeses.
- Brush one side of pizza dough with olive oil and place dough directly on the grill, olive oil side down. Close grill lid and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Once dough is browned on one side, remove from heat and place dough, cooked side up, on a cutting board and assemble your pizza toppings. Ladle and spread BBQ sauce, sprinkle with Gouda and mozzarella, and sprinkle chicken over the top.
- Slide topped pizza back onto the grill, close lid, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until bottom of pizza is browned and cheese is melted.
- Pull pizza off the grill and top with crispy onions and cilantro.
My dream pizza, especially with those crispy onions!