Why You’ll Love This this Smoky Three-Cheese BBQ Chicken Pizza
This pizza brings together three incredible cheeses—mozzarella, fontina, and smoked gouda—that melt into pure, gooey perfection while that smoky gouda adds a depth of flavor you just can’t get from regular pizza.
The tangy barbecue sauce paired with tender chicken creates that perfect sweet-and-savory balance, and honestly, who doesn’t love when dinner tastes like your favorite backyard cookout.
Plus, with colorful bell peppers and red onions adding crunch and freshness, every bite delivers different textures and flavors that’ll have you wondering why you ever settled for plain pepperoni.
Ingredients List
Making this pizza is surprisingly simple when you have all your ingredients lined up and ready to go.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4-1/3 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
- 1/2 cup diced cooked chicken
- 1-1 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
- 1/2 cup grated smoked gouda cheese
- 1/4 cup sliced red onion
- 1/2-1 green bell pepper
- Oregano, to taste
- Basil, to taste
Ingredient Considerations:
- This recipe packs in plenty of protein from the chicken and calcium from all that cheese, though it’s definitely on the indulgent side with nearly two cups of cheese total.
- You can lighten things up by using part-skim mozzarella or reducing the cheese amounts slightly without sacrificing too much of that gooey goodness.
- The vegetables add vitamins and fiber, so don’t skip them—they’re doing some heavy lifting to balance out all that rich cheese.
- If you’re watching sodium, look for lower-sodium barbecue sauce since the cheeses already bring plenty of salt to the party.
Step by Step Directions
Getting this smoky three-cheese BBQ chicken pizza ready involves a straightforward layering process that builds flavor from the bottom up.
- Lightly brush pizza dough with olive oil if desired.
- Spread barbecue sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the rim.
- Distribute diced cooked chicken evenly across the sauce.
- Layer mozzarella cheese over the chicken.
- Add Fontina cheese as the second cheese layer.
- Sprinkle smoked gouda cheese on top.
- Scatter sliced red onion pieces across the pizza.
- Add green bell pepper slices or dices.
- Season with oregano to taste.
- Finish with basil to taste.
- Bake according to your pizza dough instructions until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.
For an even more authentic smoky flavor, consider using a premium BBQ smoker to cook your chicken beforehand, which will infuse the meat with that distinctive barbecue taste that elevates this pizza to restaurant quality.
Substitutions and Variations
- Spice it up – A few red pepper flakes scattered around, or diced jalapeños mixed with those bell peppers for people who like their pizza with a little bite.
- Make it lighter – Turkey instead of chicken, part-skim mozzarella, or load up extra vegetables and go easier on the cheese.
Your waistline might thank you, though your taste buds might stage a small rebellion.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This pizza pairs beautifully with sides that won’t compete for attention but will definitely earn their spot on your dinner table.
• A crisp green salad**** – Something light and fresh cuts through all that smoky, cheesy goodness.
Think mixed greens with a simple vinaigrette, maybe some cherry tomatoes if you’re feeling fancy.
- Garlic bread or breadsticks – Because apparently we’re not getting enough carbs already, but honestly, who cares when they taste this good.
- Coleslaw – The tangy crunch plays perfectly against the rich pizza flavors, plus it gives you that authentic barbecue joint atmosphere right at home.
- Roasted vegetables – Zucchini, yellow squash, or asparagus work great.
Season them simply so they complement rather than clash with your pizza masterpiece.
• A cold beer or iced tea**** – The pizza’s got enough personality to handle a drink with some character, whether that’s a hoppy IPA or sweet tea that reminds you of summer.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
Making this pizza is pretty straightforward, but a few insider tricks will take it from good to absolutely incredible.
- Don’t sauce-bomb your crust – I know it’s tempting to slather on that barbecue sauce, but less is definitely more here. Too much sauce makes everything soggy, and nobody wants a pizza that falls apart in their hands.
- Pre-cook those veggies if they’re thick – Red onions and bell peppers can handle the oven heat just fine, but if you’re using thick slices, give them a quick sauté first so they don’t end up crunchy in all the wrong ways.
- Cheese layering matters more than you think – Put the mozzarella down first as your base, then sprinkle the fontina and gouda on top. This way, everything melts together properly instead of creating weird cheese islands.
- Let your dough come to room temperature – Cold dough is stubborn dough, and wrestling with it just makes everything more difficult than it needs to be.
- Preheat that pizza stone or baking sheet – A hot surface gives you that crispy bottom crust that makes all the difference between homemade pizza and restaurant-quality pizza.
- Don’t overcrowd with toppings – Yes, the chicken and cheese combo is amazing, but piling everything on thick just creates a soggy mess that takes forever to cook through.
Nutritional Facts
Based on a recipe serving 4-6 people, here’s the nutritional breakdown per serving:
- Calories: 420-485 per slice (depending on crust thickness and portion size)
- Protein: 28-32 grams – mainly from the triple cheese blend and chicken
- Total Fat: 18-22 grams, with about 10-12 grams coming from saturated fats in the cheese
- Carbohydrates: 35-42 grams, primarily from the pizza dough and barbecue sauce
- Fiber: 2-3 grams from the vegetables and whole grain crust (if used)
- Sodium: 950-1,200 mg – the cheese and barbecue sauce are the main contributors here
- Calcium: 450-520 mg thanks to the mozzarella, fontina, and gouda trio
- Iron: 3-4 mg from the chicken and fortified flour
- Vitamin C: 15-20 mg from the bell peppers and red onions
- Sugar: 8-12 grams, mostly from the barbecue sauce and natural sugars in vegetables
Fun “Did You Know?”
Did you know that the combination of mozzarella, fontina, and smoked gouda creates what pizza makers call a “flavor triangle”? Each cheese brings distinct characteristics: mozzarella provides stretch and mild creaminess, fontina adds nutty richness, and smoked gouda delivers that signature smoky depth.
I’ve uncovered that barbecue sauce actually originated in the Caribbean, not America. The red onions on this pizza aren’t just for flavor—they help cut through the cheese’s richness while adding a slight bite.
Curiously, green bell peppers contain more vitamin C than oranges, making this indulgent pizza surprisingly nutritious.
