Gluten-Free CPK Copycat BBQ Chicken Pizza

DIRECTIONS:

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450°F.

Mix water, sugar, and yeast together and let sit for 5 minutes, or until it is foamy.

In an electric mixer, mix flour and salt. Add in egg, olive oil, vinegar, and yeast mixture.

Mix on low speed for 1 minute.

Using an oiled spatula, transfer the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Using oiled hands and/or oiled rolling pin, spread or roll dough into a 10 to 12 inch circle.

Leaving the dough on the parchments paper, and putting the entire thing on the pizza stone, par-bake for 8-10 minutes.

While the dough is baking, mix 2 tablespoons of bbq sauce with the shredded chicken and set aside.

Remove dough and parchment from oven, top with the final 3 tablespoons bbq sauce, shredded chicken, caramelized onions and cheeses. Season to taste.

Returning the parchment and dough to the oven, bake for an additional 8-10 minutes.

When the pizza is done, top with the washed and chopped green onions and cilantro.

This recipe for the pizza crust was adapted from the original by the Gluten Free Palate.

Believe it or not, I have only eaten at a California Pizza Kitchen ONE TIME! That's it, just one time. We do not really have one within driving distance to our home and when we travel, we like to try local spots and hidden gems, not chain restaurants. I did, however, make my one and only trip worth it and tried many of their flavors, including their famous BBQ Chicken pizza. I thought it was great and understood what all the hype was about. Living just a train ride out of NYC my entire life, I have pretty high pizza standards. Would I say their plain cheese pizza was great? No, not at all, but their claim to fame, the BBQ Chicken was super tasty. I think it might be the cilantro, I could put that on anything and enjoy it.

It has been a few years since my adventure at CPK, but I think this copycat comes pretty darn close. If you give it a try and are a more current CPK lover, let me know how it stacks up.