Pizza Hut’s BBQ chicken pizza is a fan favorite menu item combining the classic flavors of barbecue with the convenience of pizza. With sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, shredded chicken, cheese, and your choice of veggie toppings, this pizza offers a perfect balance of savory, spicy, cheesy, and fresh. But what exactly goes into crafting this delicious pizza?
The Crust
All Pizza Hut pizzas start with a freshly made crust. For the BBQ chicken pizza, Pizza Hut uses their original Pan Pizza crust. This crust is made from scratch daily in each Pizza Hut location and goes through a process of pressing, proofing, and par-baking to achieve its signature golden brown color and crispy yet chewy texture.
The Pan Pizza crust is made with:
- Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- Water
- Soybean oil
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Salt
- Wheat gluten
- Monocalcium phosphate
- Garlic powder
- Ascorbic acid
This combination of ingredients gives the crust its characteristic flavor, texture, and ability to hold up well under the weight and moisture of pizza toppings.
The Sauce
What makes a BBQ chicken pizza a BBQ chicken pizza is the sweet, tangy, and smoky barbecue sauce. Pizza Hut uses their own recipe barbecue sauce made with:
- Tomato puree (tomato paste and water)
- High fructose corn syrup
- Distilled vinegar
- Molasses
- Modified food starch
- Soybean oil
- Salt
- Natural smoke flavor
- Spices
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cayenne pepper sauce
This homemade barbecue sauce strikes the right balance between sweet and tangy to complement the other pizza ingredients.
The Cheese
No pizza is complete without gooey, melted cheese! For the BBQ chicken pizza, Pizza Hut uses a blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. The combination results in a creamy, slightly sharp cheese flavor and perfect meltability.
The cheese blend is made up of:
- Low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes)
- Cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes, annatto color)
The cheese helps bind all the BBQ chicken pizza ingredients together into cheesy goodness.
The Chicken
Tender, shredded chicken is what puts the “chicken” in BBQ chicken pizza. Pizza Hut uses chicken breast meat, seasoned simply with ingredients like salt, garlic powder, and black pepper, that is roasted and then hand-pulled into shreds.
The shredded chicken provides protein, substance, and soaks up that sweet, tangy barbecue sauce on the pizza.
The Toppings
Part of the fun of pizza is customizing your toppings. The BBQ chicken pizza comes with Pizza Hut’s classic pizza toppings:
- Sliced red onions – adds a pop of color and a bit of sharp, pungent flavor
- Sliced green bell peppers – provides crunchy, fresh, slightly sweet flavor
- Mushrooms – meaty, earthy flavor and texture
You can also choose to add or swap out toppings like:
- Jalapeños
- Pineapple
- Banana peppers
- Black olives
- Tomatoes
- Spinach
- Bacon
The toppings contribute extra texture and let you customize the pizza to your tastes.
Putting It All Together
Now that we know what goes into a BBQ chicken pizza, let’s see how Pizza Hut puts it all together:
- The crust is pressed into a pan and proofed before baking until golden brown
- BBQ sauce is ladled and spread evenly over the crust
- Shredded chicken is sprinkled liberally over the sauce
- The mozzarella-cheddar cheese blend is layered over the chicken
- Onions and peppers are arranged artfully on top
- Any additional toppings are added
- The pizza is baked until the cheese is melted and the toppings are hot
The result is a harmonious combination of flavors and textures in every bite! Sweet sauce, smoky chicken, gooey cheese, and fresh crisp veggies on a pan-baked crust creates pizza perfection.
Nutrition Information
While delicious, the BBQ chicken pizza also provides nutrition:
| 1 slice (107g) | Calories | Fat | Carbs | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No toppings | 290 | 12g | 31g | 16g |
| With veggies | 300 | 13g | 33g | 18g |
While high in calories, fat, and carbs compared to some foods, the pizza also provides protein, vitamins, minerals, and energy. The crust contains B vitamins like folate and thiamine. The vegetables provide vitamins A, C, and K. And the cheese and chicken offer calcium, zinc, iron, and choline.
Ordering Tips
To get the best tasting BBQ chicken pizza from Pizza Hut, here are some tips:
- Order it fresh, not pre-made – for hot and crispy crust
- Choose Pan Pizza crust for a crunchy exterior and soft interior
- Add veggies for texture and flavor contrast with the chicken and sauce
- Opt for extra sauce and chicken for more barbecue flavor
- Pick up instead of delivery to prevent sogginess
Customize your toppings to create your own personalized barbecue chicken pizza masterpiece.
Conclusion
A BBQ chicken pizza from Pizza Hut strikes the perfect balance of flavors and textures. From the seasoned chicken to the homemade barbecue sauce to the melted cheese, every element combines into barbecue saucy goodness. While high in fat, sodium, and calories, it also provides protein, vitamins, and satisfaction. Follow the ordering tips to get the ideal BBQ chicken pizza experience. Now that you know exactly what goes into it and how it’s made, you can savor every bite even more!