Barbecue Chicken Avocado Naan Pizza! Crispy naan, barbecue sauce, juicy chicken, sharp cheddar cheese, red onions, and fresh avocado. The perfect dinner when you’re in a hurry!
You know that dish you make when you don’t have a lot of time/didn’t make a plan for dinner/don’t really feel like cooking? For me, it’s naan pizza. I often keep naan in my freezer, because you can top it with just about anything, pop it in the oven for a few minutes, and voila! Pizza! Naan pizza is also perfect when you’re cooking for one, because it’s easy to make a single serving.
Barbecue Chicken Avocado Naan Pizza is one of my favorite recipes for the scenario described above. I usually use homemade naan (recipe coming soon), but I used to use store-bought naan before I starting making it myself and that worked great too.
The recipe below includes instructions for preparing the chicken. You’ll just bake it in the oven while prepping the other ingredients, so it doesn’t add too much time. But to be honest, I like making this naan pizza best when I have leftover or rotisserie chicken to use. It eliminates a step and makes this recipe even simpler. Just shred the cooked chicken and toss it in barbecue sauce.
How to make barbecue chicken avocado naan pizza
Step 1: Cook the chicken (if not using leftover chicken)
Brush chicken thighs or breasts with barbecue sauce, roast them in the oven, and then shred them once they’re cooked. Mix the shredded chicken with a little more barbecue sauce.
Step 2: Prep the red onions
I love red onions but hate tasting them all day after eating them. Here’s a tip for avoiding dragon breath–submerge sliced red onion in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes before using or cooking. I don’t know why this works, but it softens the flavor and my tastebuds appreciate it. After 15 minutes of soaking, drain the water and sauté the red onions until soft.
Step 3: Pre-bake the naan
I like to give my naan just five minutes or so of baking time before any toppings are added. This makes the end result crispy and crunchy. If you want a softer pizza, you can skip this step.
Step 4: Layer on the toppings and bake the naan pizza
Brush the naan with barbecue sauce, sprinkle with cheese, layer on the chicken and onions, and bake for five to seven minutes more. While the pizza is in the oven, slice the avocado. Once it’s done baking, top with avocado slices and serve immediately. You may want to hold off putting the avocado on any leftovers until you’re ready to eat them.
Barbecue Chicken Avocado Naan Pizza
Ingredients
- ½ cup barbecue sauce (divided) plus 1-2 tablespoons
- ½ lb chicken thighs or breasts
- ¼ of a large red onion thinly sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 4 naans
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
Instructions
- Chicken. Preheat oven to 425° F and line a baking sheet with foil. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, then brush it with ¼ cup of the barbecue sauce. Bake chicken for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 165° F. Shred the chicken and mix with 1-2 additional tablespoons of barbecue sauce.
- Red onions. Thinly slice the red onion, then soak the slices in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. Drain the onions and heat olive oil to medium heat in a frying pan. Sauté the onions for 7-9 minutes or until soft.
- Naan. Reduce the oven temperature to 400° F. Bake naan without toppings for 5 minutes, then remove from oven.
- Pizza. Brush the naan with the remaining ¼ cup of barbecue sauce. Then layer on cheese, chicken, and red onions. Bake for 5 to 7 additional minutes or until the cheese is melted. While the pizza is baking, thinly slice the avocado. Remove pizza from the oven, top with avocado slices, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Try using leftover or rotisserie chicken to save time. Just shred it and mix it with barbecue sauce.
This pizza looks yummy!
Thanks so much, Josiah!