I’m willing to go on record as saying that BBQ Chicken Pizza is the best invention of the last 10 years. You can have your iPods, your Segways, and your Linux, I’m keeping my pizza. Actually, I think BBQ Chicken Pizza was invented more than 10 years ago, so that sentence makes no sense. Never mind! On with the pizza!

Today’s edition is a little different, because unlike the other two things I’ve made, I kind of made this recipe up myself. But I’ve made it a few times now, and each time it’s tasted great, so although it’s simple, it works. We gonna need:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 tablespoon oil (vegetable, olive, or I use peanut)
1/2 minced garlic
1/4 cup BBQ sauce (Kraft makes a Honey Garlic flavor one that works awesome with the garlic)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (more or less to size and taste)
a pinch of oregano
a pinch of basil
pizza crust *

*For the crust, feel free to use one of those Boboli premade pizza crusts– I have, and they work fine. If you want to be really hardcore (and I’ve done this, so I am), you can make up some bread dough and use that as crust, just add a little olive oil instead of all that honey. Don’t feel bad using Boboli, though, because it’s much, much easier.

First off, you gotta get that chicken cooked. Once thawed, cut it up into tiny pieces. Then, heat up a skillet to medium, and add the oil and garlic, heat until the garlic sizzles, and then add the chicken.

I guess you could actually mariade the chicken in BBQ sauce and grill it, but I like sauteeing much better. The chicken sizzles in the oil, and, as you stir it around with a wooden spoon, aroma (and usually a few drops of oil) jumps out all over the place. While it’s sizzling, throw in the oregano and basil to add some punch to the taste.

Meanwhile, get your crust ready. Smooth (or lay, if you got Boboli) it out on the pizza pan, and spread the BBQ sauce around evenly. Technically, you’re supposed to use a pizza stone, because it cooks the pizza much more evenly, but, especially with Boboli, you won’t have too much trouble just using a regular round sheet. The only thing you really need to watch out for is to keep the toppings sort of to the edges– too much in the center, and it won’t cook through properly.

By the time you’ve spread around the sauce, the chicken should be cooked through pretty well– it will get heated later in the oven, but just to be safe, you should make sure it’s cooked now in the skillet. Once it’s done, turn down the heat, and add just a touch of BBQ sauce to the skillet. Let the chicken cook in that for a minute or two, to add the BBQ flavor to the meat.

Back to the crust. Lay the mozza cheese on it. You can pretend you’re a pizza shop owner in New York, and say stuff to your roommate like “You-a wanna pizza?” and “It’s-a me, Mario!” Also, feel free to sing “That’s Amore” at extremely high volume. I did.

Chicken cooked and marinated? At this point I usually have to drain a little oil from the skillet to make sure it doesn’t end up on the pizza. A little oil with the chicken is fine, but too much and it makes everything soggy. Then, lay the chicken evenly on the pizza (keep thin in the middle), top with a little more cheese.

Finally, toss in a preheated oven and wait for it to finish. Boboli, which I used tonight, says 450 degrees for 10 minutes, but you’d have to cook longer if you were using homemade dough. As a guide, cook it until the dough browns and the cheese is completely melted. Watch that center, because that’s where it’s going to take the longest to cook through.

Pull it out, and you’ll usually have to let it cool for 10-15 minutes, otherwise the cheese and sauce will be everywhere. Cut however you want, and enjoy! “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore!”

“I Require Sustenance” runs every Wednesday on mikeschramm.com. If you have a recipe you’d like me to try, or would even like to guest blog it, send an email.