BBQ Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla Pizza

Happy belated Cinco de Mayo! Did you enjoy some salty margaritas or with something deliciously spicy?

I have only been celebrating Cinco de Mayo since my early twenties, probably because that's when I was of the legal drinking age for bars & restaurants to market to me. Even though we didn't celebrate Cinco de Mayo when I was growing up I remember my mom making cheese quesadillas. She would top a tortilla with a  mix of barbecue sauce & salsa together with some green onions, cheese & then another tortilla and pan fry into a crispy snack that was both spicy & sweet.  Taking a nod from my youth and this California Pizza Kitchen-esque BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe I created my own fusion (half bbq have Mexican inspired) Cinco de Mayo dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1/2 pound prepared pizza dough, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark barbecue sauce
• 1/3 cup salsa of your choice
• 1 8-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast (if you already have cooked chicken you can use that too!)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2/3 cup grated smoked cheddar cheese (or you can use smoked gouda)
• 2/3 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• Fresh cilantro, for topping

Make it!

1. Coat a large bowl with olive oil. Place pizza ball in bowl turing over to coat evenly with the olive oil. Cover the bowl & let rest in a warm place, 30 to 40 minutes.
2. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet in your oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
3. Meanwhile, lay out a sheet of parchment paper and brush with olive oil. Transfer the ball of dough to the parchment and roll it out into a 10-inch round, stretching it with your hands as needed. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil, cover with another piece of parchment and set aside to let rise slightly, about 30 minutes.
4. In a small bowl mix together 1/3 cup of both barbecue sauce & salsa & set aside.
5. Mix 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce & 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small bowl. Put the chicken in a baking dish, season with salt and pepper and brush with the barbecue sauce mixture. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. 
6. Cutting on the bias of the chicken cut long strips or shred the chicken with two forks.
   Roll the dough out on to a floured surface in the shape of your pizza stone. 
7. Carefully remove the pizza stone from the oven (with oven mitts!) & spray a thin coat of cooking spray or use olive oil on the hot surface.
8. Place the pizza dough onto the hot stone.
9. Spread with the remaining barbecue sauce & salsa mixture onto the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border.
10. Top the pizza with the chicken, cheddar, mozzarella and red onion.
11. Bake until the cheese melts and the crust is golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro.