Barbecue Chicken Pizza with Blue Cheese

I absolutely love barbecue chicken pizza, and when I saw that there was a rendition of it in a recent issue of Cooking Light, I couldn't resist giving it a try. This was a version that I had never seen before, because instead of being smothered in lots and lots of gooey cheese, this one just has a fair sprinkling of blue cheese. I happened to have a bit of fancy schmancy blue cheese that needed to be used up, so I seized the opportunity.



I did change the veggies on the pie slightly, as the recipe called for yellow pepper and plum tomatoes but I had none at the time. Instead, I used the recommended red onion, plus some scallions for a bit of green. Rather than using tomatoes, I combined the barbecue sauce with some pizza sauce so we would still get both flavors. I used a pizza crust that I had made a long time ago and frozen. I figured if I don't remember how long ago I made it, it had better come out and get used up!

We loved this pizza. It was a fantastic balance of sweet (from the barbecue sauce and red onion) and savory (from the pizza sauce and chicken). Plus, the blue cheese was a nice, assertive kind, so it really shone through despite the fact that I didn't use all that much of it. For a pizza that came from the pages of a healthy eating magazine, it really delivered!

Barbecue Chicken Pizza with Blue Cheese
adapted from Cooking Light
makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) prebaked pizza crust, preferably whole wheat
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup pizza sauce or marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded, cooked boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Combine the barbecue sauce with the pizza sauce, then spread it evenly over the pizza crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

2. Top evenly with the chicken, red onion, scallions, and blue cheese. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is crisp. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.