Easy BBQ Chicken Naan Pizza (Copycat California Pizza Kitchen Recipe!) (2024)

Published June 14, 2015. Last updated August 22, 2021 By Elizabeth Lindemann &nbsp&nbsp/&nbsp&nbspThis post may contain affiliate links.

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5 from 32 votes

This BBQ Chicken Pizza is one of those life-changing recipes that Iknow I’ll make again and again. And again some more. Inspired by the well-known California Pizza Kitchen recipe, but about a thousand times healthier because it’s homemade (and in my opinion, even more delicious), this will be sure to become a new favorite of yours, too!

Zach and I just sat here and ate this for dinner with no real conversation except for the occasional “oh my GODthis is good!” and “this is the best pizza in the WORLD!”Our brains literally could not register anything except for the deliciousness of this pizza.

Side note: I’m so happy I married someone who loves food as much as I do :-)

The best part about this recipe is that it uses leftover cooked chicken (any will do) and naan for the pizza crust, making it extremelyquick and easy to prep(with very few dishes dirtied). And since apparently moving across the country requires, you know, lots of packing and planning, I can use all the time I can get!Quick and easy meals are my best friend lately.

Oscar is my other best friend, and he has been “helping” me pack every day by immediately placing himself inside all of the boxes (don’t let that innocent look fool you!).

First things first. Naan pizza is my favorite way to make pizza in a hurry. I love a good homemade pizza dough as well, but this is a great alternative- no rising, kneading, or rolling required! And since making my last naan pizza recipe (buffalo mushroom– also delicious),I’ve made a very important discovery to keeping the crust extra crispy and not soggy.

First, bake only the naan bread- no toppings yet- in the oven at a high temperature for 5-7 minutes or until it’s just starting to get crispy. This will help firm up the bread so it stands up to the sauce and toppings you are about to add. I use my half baker’s sheet with an oven safe racknestled inside it to cook my naan pizza, but you can also put it directly on the rack in the oven (this enables hot air to circulate above and below the crust, making it crispier).

Once you’ve baked the naan for a while, remove it from the oven and add the toppings. First, a layer of barbecue sauce (any kind will do- I used the precious remainingSalt Lick BBQ sauce I had leftover from our last trip to Austin- only two weeks until I can get that liquid gold anytime I want to!).

Then, some mozzarella cheese, followed by cooked chicken mixed with more BBQ sauce, and sliced red onions. Back into the oven for 10 more minutes, with a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro for the final touch.

CPK’s pizza uses smoked gouda instead of mozzarella- you can use whichever you want. I preferthe simplicity of mozzarella because it doesn’t compete with the other delicious toppings. And if you’re feeling adventurous, here’s how to make your own whole wheat naan bread and homemade BBQ sauce!

Taking photographs of this and not eating it right away was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Oh, the struggles of being a food blogger.

Next time you want to grab a frozen California Pizza Kitchen BBQ chicken pizza,try this instead. It’s so much healthier, so much tastier, and almost just as easy as popping a frozen pizza in the oven!

Other Pizza Recipes:

Sautéed Vegetable and Goat Cheese Naan Pizza
Buffalo Mushroom Naan Pizza
Hawaiian Pizza
Caprese Naan Pizza

Easy BBQ Chicken Naan Pizza (Copycat California Pizza Kitchen Recipe!)

This homemade BBQ Chicken Naan Pizza is healthier than CPK’s recipe, more delicious, and super quick and easy to make! This will become one of your favorite recipes.

5 from 32 votes

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Course: Pizza

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 389kcal

Author: Elizabeth Lindemann

Ingredients

2 naan flatbreads
1/2 cup BBQ sauce any kind will do
1 cup cooked shredded or chopped chicken such as rotisserie
1/4 cup red onion sliced
1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place the oven rack in the lower half of the oven.
Mix 2-3 tablespoons of the barbecue sauce with the chicken.
Place the naan on a rimmed baking sheet. Top each naan flatbread with the remaining BBQ sauce, followed by the cheese, chicken and BBQ sauce mixture, and sliced onion.
Bake for 10-15 minutes in the lower part of the oven, or until cheese is melted and crust is browned.
Top each pizza with one tablespoon of chopped fresh cilantro.

Notes

The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using thiscalculatoror by adding the recipe toYummly.

Nutrition

Nutrition Information Disclaimer

The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:

Very Well Fit Nutrition Information Calculator

My Fitness Pal Recipe Nutrition Calculator

Add the recipe to Yummly

Tried this recipe?Mention @BowlofDelicious or tag #BowlofDelicious!

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Comments

Lynne
March 26, 2022 at 8:05 pm

Followed the recipe as written and it was really good! Used a coffee bbq sauce from Trader Joe, which was what I had in the house, and it was great. Bought whole wheat naan and served with a big salad so it seemed healthy!
Reply
- Elizabeth Lindemann
  March 27, 2022 at 10:52 am
  So glad you liked it!
  Reply
Trina
August 03, 2021 at 9:22 pm
This is my new favorite go to snack! I can’t get enough of it. Thanks for sharing. Is the calorie/nutrition info you provided for the whole pizza or for just a slice?
Reply
- Elizabeth Lindemann
  August 05, 2021 at 10:01 am
  So glad you liked it! The nutrition information is for half a pizza (it’s always calculated by the amount of servings in the recipe, and I wrote that this recipe serves 4, so with two pizzas it’s half a pizza each). Hope that helps!
  Reply
- Pam
  November 11, 2021 at 5:26 pm
  
  Made this using pulled pork instead of chicken. Followed the recipe for everything else and it was delicious.
  Thx
  Reply
  - Elizabeth Lindemann
    November 15, 2021 at 4:47 pm
    So glad you liked it! Love the idea of using pulled pork for this – great way to use up leftovers!
Laura
June 04, 2021 at 5:55 pm
Burnt the crap out of the bottom. Should’ve read the reviews
Reply
- Elizabeth Lindemann
  June 09, 2021 at 9:35 am
  Ovens vary as well as baking pans, which can contribute to overcooking or undercooking the pizza. Try lining your baking sheet with parchment paper (or a couple layers of parchment) – that helps keep the temperature a bit cooler on the bottom! Better luck next time.
  Reply
Sara
May 23, 2021 at 7:19 pm

I made this recipe and my family absolutely loved it!
Reply
- Elizabeth Lindemann
  June 01, 2021 at 10:05 am
  So glad you liked it!
  Reply
Peggy
October 14, 2019 at 6:50 pm

Burnt? Maybe an issue with her. Lighting? SMH. This is crispy goodness. Save your rude untrue
Reply
Alison
See Also
Secret Garden Recipe: Two Exquisite Tea Sandwiches - Willow Bird Baking
May 30, 2019 at 4:03 pm

I make this all of the time. So easy and a great use for leftover chicken. It’s great because I can prep all the ingredients the night befor, come home from a long day and throw the ingredients on, pop it in the oven, and done!
Reply
- Elizabeth Lindemann
  June 01, 2019 at 8:03 am
  I’m so happy you like this recipe- I agree, it’s perfect after a long day!
  Reply
Cate
May 05, 2019 at 5:05 pm
You BURNT that pizza so badly and then photoed it. Way to go! Gross!
Reply
- Elizabeth Lindemann
  May 06, 2019 at 9:50 am
  Hey! Thanks for your feedback. I started my blog 5 years ago and taught myself photography throughout the process, so you can imagine my old posts aren’t quite the same quality as my new ones. I’m in the process of updating old posts with new photos, I’ll certainly take this feedback into consideration when I rephotograph this post.
  Reply
  - Bethany Chavis
    May 19, 2019 at 8:44 am
    New reader. Beginning to follow, because your response was awesome. Trying this tonight on a flatbread. Will update after. Thanks for your positivity!
  - Elizabeth Lindemann
    May 20, 2019 at 9:40 am
    Ooo I hope you like this! It’s one of my favorite recipes. SO easy! Thanks for following along :-)
  - Tuneq
    June 11, 2019 at 6:22 pm
    I appreciate a pizza that’s more on the well done side so I think this looks very appetizing
  - Elizabeth Lindemann
    June 12, 2019 at 2:43 pm
    I do too, thanks :-)
  - Courtney Chapman
    June 17, 2019 at 9:56 am
    Pictures looks pretty good to me, so good in fact, I think I’m making this tonight for dinner!!!! Yummmmmm
  - Elizabeth Lindemann
    June 18, 2019 at 6:32 am
    Hope you liked it! :-)
  - Mallory
    January 26, 2021 at 8:17 pm
    
    Super easy and delicious. Definitely will be remaking especially when pressed with time! I baked some chicken tenderloins with basic seasonings and it didn’t clash when the BBQ was mixed. I added spinach and bell peppers to it as well
  - Elizabeth Lindemann
    January 27, 2021 at 1:27 pm
    So glad you liked it! Love the idea of adding the veggies to it.
- Joseph Sciascia
  September 03, 2019 at 10:34 am
  OMG, doesn’t look burned at all, maybe a little crispy. If you don’t think Elizabeth’s photos are not up to your standards maybe you need to move on instead of leaving a rude comment. She took her time to create and share this recipe for free to all that want to view it, your unsolicited advice isn’t welcomed in my book.
  Reply
- Patty
  November 17, 2020 at 7:39 pm
  Some of us like our pizza crispy…. if you don’t, don’t make your pizza that way. Duh!
  Reply
Sherry Ferl
January 13, 2018 at 6:29 pm
Delish!!! Made it tonight and it was a hit! Followed the instructions, but used garlic naan, which added extra flavor. I’ll definitely make it again, Thanks for the recipe!!!
Reply
- Elizabeth
  January 18, 2018 at 6:44 am
  Thanks! So happy you liked it, it’s one of my favorite easy recipes to make!
  Reply
Amanda
September 18, 2017 at 6:31 pm

Can u replace the red onion for yellow onion? (That’s all I have handy at the moment.) I’ve made this pizza many many times and it’s amazing! My boyfriends absolute fave!! Thx!
Reply
- Elizabeth
  September 18, 2017 at 6:43 pm
  Sure! It will be a bit of a stronger onion flavor but it will work. Maybe slice a bit more thinly than usual and use less. So glad you like the recipe!
  Reply
Liz
August 31, 2017 at 3:46 pm

sooooo good!!! I skipped the cilantro because I’m not a fan and I used the lil naans that they have at costco. They came out great and my family devoured them! thank you!
Reply
- Elizabeth
  August 31, 2017 at 4:14 pm
  Yay! So glad you liked this recipe and thanks for the comment!
  Reply
TheCurldiva
January 07, 2017 at 11:38 am

This recipe is kid approved. I used A honey flavored BBQ sauce and leftover grilled chicken tenders. For my oven these times were to long. I heated the bread for 3 minutes and cooked for ten minutes. I think in the future I will reduce time warm by a minute for less crisp. Other than that it was a quick phenomenal crowd pleaser!
Reply
- Elizabeth
  January 08, 2017 at 9:02 am
  Thanks! So glad you and your kids liked it :-)
  Reply
grace
June 16, 2015 at 12:39 pm
barbecue chicken pizza is definitely a favorite of mine, though i’m never quite able to recreate it at home. bravo!
Reply
Natalie @ Obsessive Cooking Disorder
June 15, 2015 at 8:35 pm
This sounds like a great quick meal idea – make my own pizza dough but the time it takes after a long day at the hospital is like meh, so I’ll have to try this. Naan is my favorite! The hubby loves BBQ chicken and CPK so this is gonna be a winner for him :)
Reply
Matt @ Plating Pixels
June 15, 2015 at 6:22 pm
I’m a fan of CA pizza kitchen but also enjoy cooking at home. So this is a win win! Looks so good!
Reply
Julia @ Sprinkled With Jules
June 15, 2015 at 9:07 am
I love that this uses naan! I can’t wait to try it. Pinned!
Reply
- Elizabeth
  June 15, 2015 at 9:29 am
  Thanks so much, Julia!
  Reply
Justine
June 15, 2015 at 4:01 am
Looks great!! My hubby would love this!!! Thanks!!
Reply