BBQ Chicken Pizza

November 29, 2023

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds and 8 ounces as purchased (AP) frozen fully-cooked chicken fajita strips (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] food item)
  • 50 whole grain-rich tortillas, 6 inch round, 1 ounce each (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] food item)
  • 1 pound AP fresh red onions
  • 1 pound AP fresh cilantro
  • Pan release spray
  • 6–8 ounces frozen whole grain-rich pizza dough (12 inch by 16 inch sheets
  • 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil (USDA food item)
  • 2½ tablespoons ready-to-use minced garlic
  • 2 quarts and 1 cup or ⅞ number 10 can canned diced low-sodium tomatoes
    (USDA food item)
  • 2 cups or ⅔ number 2.5 can canned no salt added tomato paste (USDA food
    item)
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons table salt
  • 3 tablespoons ground black pepper
  • 3¼ cups water
  • 1 ounce or ½ bunch fresh basil
  • 3 pounds or 3 quarts mozzarella low moisture part skim cheese, shredded (USDA food item)
  • 3 quarts barbeque (BBQ) sauce

Directions

  1. Thaw chicken in refrigerator one to two days in advance. Critical Control Point (CCP): Thaw in refrigerator at 41°F or lower
  2. Peel and trim onion. Slice into thin strips to measure 3 cups.
  3. Rinse cilantro under cool running water. Trim and chop to measure 1½ cups
  4. Spray three–18 inch by 26 inch by 1 inch baking sheet pans
  5. Place two sheets of pizza dough on three–18 inch by 26 inch by 1 inch baking sheets for 6 pizzas. Thaw pizza dough on pans for 30 minutes.

To Prepare Marinara Sauce

  1. Heat oil over medium in large saucepan. Add garlic, sauté for 1 minute.
  2. Add diced tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper, and water, stir to combine. Bring to a boil, heat to simmer for 30 minutes, stir often.
  3. Rinse basil under cool running water. Chop basil to measure ¾ cup. Add basil to sauce, remove from heat.
  4. Puree marinara with immersion blender, blender, or food processor. Note: Marinara should retain texture, not be liquefied.
  5.  Preheat convection oven to 350°F or conventional oven to 375°F.

To Assemble Each Pizza

  1. Evenly spread 1½ cups marinara sauce on each sheet of pizza dough. Distribute 2 cups cheese evenly on each pizza.
  2. Mix chicken and BBQ sauce in 12 ¾ inch by 20 inch by 4 inch pan. Evenly spread 3 cups chicken mixture on top of each pizza.
  3. Top each pizza with ½ cup sliced onions.
  4. Top each pizza with ¼ cup cilantro.
  5. Bake for 12 to 20 minutes until golden brown and cheese has melted. Note: Check time for baking as ovens vary. Be sure dough is cooked thoroughly.
  6. Cut each pizza 2 inch by 4 inch to form eight–4 inch by 6 inch rectangular pieces.
  7. Serve immediately a 4 inch by 6 inch rectangular piece of pizza for each serving.

Recipe Options

The CA Culinary Centers have calculated and tested the yields for this standardized recipe. You may choose to vary the spices in the recipe to meet the taste preferences of your students. For example, using a 1.5 to 2 ratio for spices when doubling the recipe yield from 50 to 100. However, changing or substituting any other ingredients may result in a different yield, meal contribution, or dietary specification, and should be considered a different recipe