Blackberry Chicken Pizza

Enjoy the final days of summer with this cheesy, juicy blackberry chicken pizza.

For those of you who have been following along since the beginning, this recipe probably seems familiar. One of my first recipes was this White Pizza with Chicken and Blackberry Balsamic Glaze. While it’s remained a favorite in our household, the pictures make me cringe every time I send the link to a friend or family member. So initially the plan was just to update the pictures and call it good, but then I realize over the years I’ve been slowly tweaking the recipe to make it work better as a baked rather than grilled pizza. Don’t worry, if you love the original the post is still up so no need to re-pin or bookmark.

For those of you who are new to the blackberry + chicken + pizza combo, I ask that you trust me on this one. The sweet and savory combo is perfect for a lighter meal when the pizza cravings hit. It also might seem like a lot of steps, but it comes together quickly and is hard to mess up. You’ll likely also have leftover blackberry glaze and chicken, which taste delicious in a fancy grilled cheese or as a simple, low-carb lunch.

For the crust, depending on how much time you have you can either make your own or buy some fresh dough at the store. If you’re going with the store-bought option, my go-to is always Trader Joe’s – their whole wheat dough would be perfect (although their herbed garlic dough would be so delicious with this too!). I’ve been experimenting with homemade pizza doughs a lot lately. And while I don’t have a go-to recipe teased out quite yet, I’m getting much closer thanks to an early birthday gift from Bry.

For any of you home cooks that are fairly comfortable in the kitchen, but are looking to improve your baking techniques, pick up Ratio right now! Not only does it go through the science behind the ratios for various doughs and batters, but it also supplies base recipes, which once you perfect, you can get creative and experiment with flavor additions or using different flours and fats.

So here’s a toast to giving an old favorite a much-needed upgrade!

Blackberry Chicken Pizza

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 Cooking Time: 30 min

Ingredients

For chicken:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For pizza:
1 batch pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Cooked chicken thighs
Fresh rosemary
For blackberry glaze
1 6-oz container fresh blackberries, washed
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar

Instructions

Place 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, place cut chicken thigh pieces into pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes then flip and cook until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Place cooked chicken thighs on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Preheat oven to 450F.

Roll out pizza dough on a clean surface and then place on a pizza stone or a parchment paper-line baking sheet. Spread 1 Tbsp olive oil over top of pizza crust followed by the cheese. Finally, top with cooked chicken then place in oven. Bake for 22 min, or until cooked to your desired crispness.

Once there's 15 minutes left for the pizza to cook, begin making the blackberry glaze. Place all ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once bubbling, reduce heat to a simmer and gently mash blackberries using the back of a fork. Continue to simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Once pizza is cooked, remove from oven and drizzle blackberry glaze on top. Finally sprinkle fresh rosemary on top and cut into 8 slices. Enjoy!