BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza
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This BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza is high in protein, light on effort, and definitely family approved! It’s an easy meal, ready in just 25 minutes, and a great weeknight option.
Plus, it’s the perfect way to use any slightly stale bread or leftover chicken like my BBQ Chicken Thighs!
Table Talk with Tawnie
Friday night is always pizza night in our house but sometimes making it scratch just isn’t in the cards! That’s why I love grabbing a loaf of french bread and adding my favorite toppings to make a super simple, flavorful pizza that everyone will love! I knew after making my garlic bread pizza, I had to try more variations so one night I shredded up some leftover rotisserie chicken, tossed it in my favorite BBQ sauce, and layered it cheese, red onion, and bacon and WOW! Incredible!! This recipe is fast, fun, and will be devoured in minutes!
- French bread: An Italian loaf works well here, too. I wouldn’t choose a baguette for this particular recipe. Or if you have a favorite homemade Italian or French bread recipe, feel free to make your own!
- Garlic butter: For the garlic butter, I used unsalted butter (I prefer using unsalted so I can control the amount of salt), garlic salt, and dried parsley. If using salted butter, you can just use regular garlic powder if needed.
- BBQ sauce: Use your favorite BBQ sauce here!
- Cheese: I used a combination of mozzarella and smoked Gouda. I HIGHLY recommend shredding your cheese. I promise the extra 5 minutes is so worth it for creaminess and meltiness.
- Chicken: Any shredded chicken works! I used a rotisserie chicken to keep this recipe super easy, but you can use any leftover chicken you have on hand. My BBQ chicken thighs shredded up are a super tasty option!
Step-by-Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Slice & toast bread
Cut the French bread in half lengthwise. Mix the ingredients for the garlic butter together and spread onto bread. Bake for ~5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients.
Assemble
Brush bbq sauce all over the bread then layer the remaining ingredients.
Bake
Bake for ~12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and golden. Broil for a couple of minutes to give it a yummy golden look (just be careful to not let it burn!).
Garnish and enjoy!
Once done, garnish with toppings and slice! Serve with more bbq sauce or ranch and ENJOY!
Expert Tips
- Make ahead: Assemble the base by spreading the garlic butter mixture onto the bread, then wrap it tightly in foil. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, add toppings and bake as directed, then enjoy.
- Freshly shredded cheese: Okay, hear me out. I know the pre-shredded cheese is easy to grab, but I PROMISE it’s worth it to shred your own! It takes 5 minutes and will truly make this French bread pizza so much better!
- Use day-old bread: This BBQ chicken pizza is a great way to use up slightly stale French bread! Being slightly stale will help the bread hold up the toppings better, and it crisps up nicely without getting soggy.
- Shredded chicken: I recommend using shredded chicken (versus diced chicken) as it gives better coverage and texture compared to diced.
- Layer cheeses: Laying the cheese both under and over the rest of the toppings helps to “glue” the toppings to the bread. Plus, the layer on top helps create that bubbly, golden finish.
My Favorite Sheet Pan
Half Sheet Pan (18×13)
This is one of my favorite sheet pans! It’s high-quality, easy to clean, consistent for baking, and does not warp! Can’t recommend it enough.
Variations / Substitutions
- Different cheeses! Feel free to switch up the cheeses. I love the combination of melty mozzarella and smoked Gouda, but you can use any combo or flavor of cheese you like. Try adding parmesan, pepper jack, or white cheddar!
- More toppings: Add pickled jalapeños, pineapple chunks, or any of your other favorite pizza toppings to add even more yumminess!
- 🌶️Spice: If you like a little spice, try using a spicy BBQ sauce or mixing regular BBQ sauce with a bit of hot sauce (like Frank’s, chipotle, or Sriracha). You can also drizzle a little hot honey on top!
Storage / Freezing
Store any leftover BBQ chicken French bread pizza in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Reheat in the toaster oven or air fryer to restore its yumminess and crispiness.
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BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread or Italian bread
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ tsp. garlic salt
- ½ tsp. dried parsley
- BBQ sauce (your favorite)
- 8 oz. smoked gouda (shredded (not bagged or pre-shredded))
- 8 oz. mozzarella (shredded (not bagged or pre-shredded))
- 3 cups shredded chicken (I use rotisserie)
- 5 strips thick-cut bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- ¼-½ cup red onion (very thinly sliced)
- For garnish: Fresno chili peppers, chopped fresh cilantro, more red onion, drizzle of bbq sauce or ranch for dunking
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
- Slice the french bread: Cut the French bread in half lengthwise and place on the baking sheet with the cut side up. Optional step: to prevent the sides of the bread from curling up too much while baking, take another baking sheet or a clean cutting board and press down on the bread.1 loaf French bread or Italian bread
- Make the butter mixture: In a medium-sized bowl, mix the softened butter, garlic salt, and dried parsley until combined and smooth. You can use a spoon or a hand mixer if it’s easier.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ tsp. garlic salt, ½ tsp. dried parsley
- Toast the buttered bread: Spread the butter on the bread and place on the prepared baking sheet, butter side up, and bake for ~5-8 minutes. Start Timer.
- Grate and chop: Prepare chicken, bacon & mixture and cheese. Shred the chicken if needed, grate the cheese, slice the red onion, and chop the cooked bacon. Combine the 2 cheeses together.8 oz. smoked gouda, 8 oz. mozzarella, 3 cups shredded chicken, 5 strips thick-cut bacon, ¼-½ cup red onion
- Add BBQ: Brush or spread bbq sauce all over the bread, reaching the edges (measure with your heart!)BBQ sauce
- Assemble: Layer the remaining ingredients: half of the cheese, all the chicken (you can add a little more bbq sauce on the chicken here if you want), the bacon, red onion, and the rest of the cheese.
- Bake: Bake for ~12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and golden. You can also broil for a couple of minutes to give it a yummy golden look. Start Timer.
- Garnish: Once out of the oven, top with sliced Fresno chiles, cilantro, and more red onion slices.For garnish: Fresno chili peppers, chopped fresh cilantro, more red onion, drizzle of bbq sauce or ranch for dunking
- Cut & serve: Slice into portions and serve with a drizzle of bbq sauce or ranch, or some of the side for dunking. ENJOY!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
📸 Photos by Sierra Ashleigh Photography
