Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza
French bread pizza is a friendly dinner to cut into big, shareable pieces. This one has barbecue chicken under melted cheese, with red onion and a fresh cilantro finish.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 11 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Pizza
A few quick notes
1. Cook the chicken through first
Saute the chicken nearly through, then simmer with its barbecue sauce portion until fully cooked and the coating thickens.
2. Mix the bread sauce separately
Stir the remaining barbecue sauce with marinara before spreading it over the cut French bread on the baking sheet.
3. Give the pizza a short rest
After adding cilantro to the baked pizza, let it sit briefly before slicing so serving is easier.
Get to know the ingredients
Bite-size chicken pieces
Cut the breasts into small pieces before sauteing and seasoning, ready to divide over the sauced bread.
Thin red onion slices
Layer the thinly sliced red onion over the cooked chicken before sprinkling both cheeses on top.
Two shredded cheeses
Fresh mozzarella and cheddar both go over the assembled bread before baking until melted and bubbling.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Cilantro over bubbling cheese
Remove the pizza when the cheese is melted and bubbly, add chopped cilantro and let sit briefly before cutting.
A little more help as you go
Prepare the lined baking sheet
Line the large rimmed sheet with foil before setting down the cut bread for saucing and topping.
Season chicken during sauteing
Add seasoning salt and freshly ground pepper while the chicken cooks, before its first barbecue sauce portion goes in.
A few questions you might have
Does the chicken go onto the bread raw?
Cook it thoroughly in the skillet with its barbecue sauce first, then divide it between the sauced bread halves.
Is the pizza sauce just barbecue sauce?
The bread is spread with barbecue sauce mixed with marinara, while a separate barbecue portion coats the chicken.
When does the cilantro go on?
It is added after baking, before the brief rest and slicing, so it stays part of the fresh finish.
Do I need to cook the red onion separately?
The sliced onion goes directly over the cooked chicken during assembly, then bakes with the cheese-topped bread.
How can I tell the baking stage is finished?
Look for melted, bubbly cheese over the topped bread before removing the tray and adding cilantro.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: fromvalerieskitchen.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
