Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza? You heard that right! Top a thin crust pizza with all of the best components of Nashville hot chicken, from a homemade bbq sauce to crispy chicken pieces and of course dill pickle slices, this pizza is a hit.
This recipe is 100% for my daddy. Something to know about him, if there is anything "nashville hot chicken" on the menu of a restaurant, he's ordering that. Every time.
So being a Chicago girl that is all about the pizza, I knew I had to create this unique pizza recipe for him to enjoy at home!
Think of this recipe as a BBQ chicken pizza's spicy sister. The sauce has a real kick to it rather than straight sweetness of a regular bbq sauce.
For more pizza inspo, try Cafeteria Style Rectangle Pizza, Easy Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza (Cast Iron Skillet), and Pizza Stuffed Chicken.
What is Nashville Hot Sauce?
If you aren't familiar with Nashville Hot Sauce, allow me to bring you up to speed.
Nashville hot sauce is a classic Tennessee sauce that is sweet and quite spicy. It is made with a base of butter and then loads of chili powder, paprika, and other spices are added. Brown sugar or honey are added for a hint of sweetness. While there are many variations of this sauce, that is the general base.
Hot chicken sandwiches are marinated in the sauce and then breaded, deep fried, and brushed with more hot sauce before being served on a bun with lots of dill pickle slices.
Ingredients
- Nashville Hot Sauce- I share an easy to make nashville hot chicken sauce to use as the pizza sauce. For a shortcut, you can buy store bought nashville hot sauce.
- Pizza Dough- Store bought fresh pizza dough or homemade, such as this sourdough pizza recipe.
- Frozen Chicken Tender Pieces- I like to use the lightly breaded frozen chicken bites (such as the Just Bare brand), but frozen breaded chicken tenders work too, you can just cut them up into bite sized pieces.
- Mozzarella Cheese- I like to use a thicker cut, as it melts more evenly.
- Red Onion- Just like with bbq chicken pizza, adding a bit of thinly sliced red onion adds a nice contrast.
- Dill Pickles- I like Grillo's pickles.
How to Make Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza
Prepare chicken pieces according to the packaging instructions. Cut into bites-sized pieces.
In a small saucepan, combine butter, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and honey. Bring up to a simmer, whisking to combine. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes and then remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Roll out pizza dough on top of a floured surface until ¼ inch thick.
To your pizza stone or baking sheet, drizzle olive oil or corn meal to prevent sticking.
Gently place rolled out pizza dough on top of pizza stone.
Spoon on prepared sauce in a thin layer.
Top with mozzarella cheese.
Add cut up chicken and sliced red onion.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and browning.
Top hot pizza with dill pickle slices, slice and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Cooking the chicken pieces first, before using them to top the pizza will allow them to stay crispy and delicious.
- For an added kick, drizzle a bit of hot honey over top of the finished pizza.
- Prep your pizza stone with oil or cornmeal to prevent the pizza dough from sticking.
Storage
Store anything leftover pieces of pizza in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
For any of my cold pizza lovers, this one is delicious as cold leftovers!
Did you enjoy this Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza? I would love for you to let me know by leaving a comment and star rating. I can't wait to hear from you!
Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza
Ingredients
Nashville Hot Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter half a stick
- 2 tbsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. honey
Pizza
- 16 oz. pizza dough refrigerated
- 6 oz. breaded chicken bites sliced into bite sized pieces
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup dill pickle chips such as Grillo's
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine butter, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and honey. Bring up to a simmer, whisking to combine. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes and then remove from heat and set aside.
- Prepare chicken pieces according to the packaging instructions. Cut into bites-sized pieces.
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Roll out pizza dough on top of a floured surface until ¼ inch thick.
- To your pizza stone or baking sheet, drizzle olive oil or corn meal to prevent sticking.
- Gently place rolled out pizza dough on top of pizza stone.
- Spoon on prepared sauce in a thin layer.
- Top with mozzarella cheese.
- Add cut up chicken and sliced red onion.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and browning.
- Top hot pizza with dill pickle slices, slice and serve.
Leave a Reply