gourmet barbecue chicken pizza with caramelized onions and bacon

i have been a pizza addict for most of my life. moving to the boonies (read: far far far from gourmet pizzerias, and the mall, yikes) meant i had to step up my pizza-making skills. i have to bring the pizzeria home. i developed this recipe to kick up the flavor of the standard homemade bbq chicken pizza. my hub and i almost finish off a sixteen inch when i make this. it rocks.

gourmet barbecue chicken pizza with caramelized onions and bacon

an original recipe by rachelle

1 recipe the ultimate homemade fabulous pizza dough

4 slices bacon

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon honey

1 red onion, sliced

2 chicken breasts, chopped 1/2"

1/2 cup barbecue sauce, plus 2 Tablespoons

2 cups mozarella, fontina or gouda cheese

salt and pepper to taste

put chicken in a ziptop bag and pour in a couple of Tbsp barbecue sauce (if you're ambitious, add some diced onion, minced garlic, honey and lime juice. plain ole bbq sauce is ok too.) let the chicken marinate at room temperature while you prep the bacon and onions.

fry bacon crisp in a skillet and set aside, reserving grease.

make carmelized onions: add butter into skillet with bacon grease. add honey, onion, and salt and pepper to taste. saute for 15-ish minutes on medium heat, until onions are caramelized and browned. remove onions from the skillet and set them aside. add chicken into skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned on all sides.

roll pizza dough into a 16" circle over cornmeal. transfer to a cookie sheet oiled with a couple Tbsp olive oil or to parchment paper if you're using a pizza peel and baking stone. swirl barbecue sauce over dough, covering within 1" of the edge of the crust. top with 1 1/2 cups cheese. layer chicken, caramelized onions and bacon. sprinkle with remaining cheese. brush crust with a little oil all the way around. bake at 475 degrees for 7 minutes.