BBQ Chicken Pizza with Mozzarella and Red Onion

Ingredients

• 600g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 large flatbreads or naan breads
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced into rings
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ tsp caster sugar
• 120ml BBQ sauce, plus extra to serve
• 250g mozzarella, drained and torn
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 200g white cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 large carrot, coarsely grated
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• Dried chilli flakes, to scatter, to serve
• Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle, to serve
• Fresh coriander, leaves picked, to serve
• Mixed leaf salad, to serve
• Dill pickles, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan. Pat the chicken thighs dry — water means steam, and steam means no char — then toss with the smoked paprika, garlic powder, olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Work the spices in with your hands so the paprika and garlic powder bloom against the warm oil and chicken; raw spice rubs taste dusty, oil-coated rubs taste of themselves.
2. Put an ovenproof frying pan or griddle over a high heat until it's properly smoking — that hard heat is what gives you the char. Lay the thighs in a single layer with space between each one. Don't crowd the pan: bunch them up and water comes out, and you've poached the chicken instead of searing it. Cook two pieces at a time if your pan is small. 5–6 minutes per side until deeply golden, lightly charred at the edges and cooked through with no pink. Rest on a plate for 5 minutes.
3. While the chicken rests, combine the sliced red onion with the red wine vinegar, splash of vinegar doing its work, the caster sugar and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Toss well and leave for 10 minutes — the rings soften and turn a vivid pink.
4. For the slaw, tip the shredded cabbage and grated carrot into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar and wholegrain mustard, season with salt and pepper, and toss until everything is glossy and evenly coated. Taste — it should be sharp, creamy, properly seasoned. Adjust now, not at the table.
5. Shred the rested chicken into rough, generous pieces using two forks, catching any resting juices and tossing them back through the meat.
6. Lay the flatbreads on two large baking trays. Spread each one generously with BBQ sauce, leaving a 1cm border around the edge for a crisp crust.
7. Scatter the shredded chicken evenly across the flatbreads, top with the drained pickled red onion rings, then tear the mozzarella into molten-ready clumps over the top.
8. Bake for 10–12 minutes until the mozzarella is bubbling and golden at the edges and the flatbread bases are crisp underneath when you lift a corner.
9. Pull the pizzas out and immediately scatter over torn coriander leaves and a pinch of dried chilli flakes, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Plate each pizza with a generous heap of the creamy mustard slaw, a few dill pickles alongside, and a small bowl of extra BBQ sauce for dipping.