Autoimmune Paleo BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza // TheCuriousCoconut.com #aip #paleo

This is one of the most exciting recipes I have written in a long time -- I thought I'd never in a million years get to enjoy any type of pizza while on the autoimmune protocol! For just about the entire time I've been on the AIP, I've been making The Domestic Man's AIP flatbread at least once a week. You know how much I love my tropical starches (and the flours made from them), so I love that it's made of yuca flour.

One night, I got lazy and instead of using the coconut milk it calls for, I used water. The result was delicious, but the texture reminded me more of pizza than flatbread. I made a mental note and filed it away, and enjoyed the bread that evening.

Recently, I was making BBQ chicken thighs using the amazing AIP Cherry BBQ sauce from The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook. I also just happened to make a batch of the flatbread that night, too. As I was putting the food on our plates a lightbulb went off above my head -- it was right in front of me! Why not try modifying the crust recipe further to be more like pizza crust and make a BBQ chicken pizza that's 100% AIP?

So, I started experimenting.

And the results are AMAZING.

This AIP pizza crust doesn't bend under pressure! // TheCuriousCoconut.com

This crust is both crunchy and chewy, has a great flavor, and -- get this -- holds its shape and doesn't break or sag under all the toppings. You can pick this pizza up and eat it by the slice. I've yet to eat a paleo pizza before mine that was this sturdy. Of course, I still <3 Elizabeth's cauliflower crusted pizza from Cooking With Coconut Oil, but she even admits that it's a fork and knife kind of recipe (which is just fine because it is so DELICIOUS).

Because all my recipes seem to include it these days, yes, there is gelatin in the crust as an egg replacement. It adds a bit of flexibility to the crust and also improves the mouth feel and gives it a nice chewy-crispy texture. NOTE: when using gelatin to replace eggs, you MUST use the red can of Great Lakes. The green can of collagen hydrolysate will NOT work!

Again, big thanks to Russ for the inspiration to come up with this recipe. And please try his flatbread recipe if you haven't already. It's such a nice treat! I like to make it with a 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and a full tsp of rosemary mixed into the dough.

Before I get to the recipe, I want to share a bit more about The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook. If you are following the AIP, buying this cookbook is hands down one of the best investments you can make in yourself. I'm completely blown away by how awesome it is. It's full of gorgeous photographs and delicious recipes that are fun, exciting, and will help prevent food boredom from setting in. I wish I had had this book when I first started the transition -- it would've made things a lot easier and less painful. It is incredibly comprehensive and teaches you how to make a huge range of appetizers, snacks, main dishes, soups, salads, sauces and dressings, and desserts. There's nothing better than being able to open up a cookbook and KNOW that you can eat any of the recipes inside :-)

If you don't own the AIP Cookbook, then I have another awesome BBQ sauce recipe for you to try by Jessica at AIP Lifestyle. Hers is made with strawberries and I love it, too! It's hard for me to pick a favorite between Mickey's or Jessica's recipe -- they are both fabulous and a very welcome addition to the AIP diet!

I hope you enjoy this recipe! :-)

BBQ Chicken Pizza (autoimmune paleo)

Recipe by Amanda Torres @ The Curious Coconut

This recipe is for an AIP BBQ chicken pizza with gelatin in the crust for a deliciously crunchy yet chewy texture!

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Yield: one 12-inch pizza

Ingredients

For the crust

1-1/2 cups tapioca starch (not cassava flour)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp unrefined salt
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1/2 - 1 tsp dried rosemary (optional)
1/2 - 1 tsp dried oregano (optional)
4 -5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (+ extra for drizzling)
2 Tbsp gelatin (NOT collagen)
3/4 cup filtered water

Toppings

1 cup shredded chicken (approximate - adjust per your preferences)
1/2 cup AIP BBQ sauce (recipe from The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook or this one by AIP Lifestyle
approx 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
3-4 baby bella mushrooms (optional)
1 shallot, minced
cilantro, minced, added to taste

NOTE: you can also just use a simple no-mato marinara sauce if you don't want to do BBQ chicken - I've got the best recipe ever right here.

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 450F.
Prepare gelatin: add filtered water to a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin on top a little bit at a time to wet it. I usually add about 1/2 Tbsp at a time. Let sit a few minutes and work on the dry ingredients while you are waiting.
Add flours, salt, and spices and yeast (if using) to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine into a homogeneous mixture. I like to use my dough cutter for this.
Heat your wet gelatin over medium low heat until all gelatin dissolves.
Pour dissolved gelatin and oil over dry ingredients and use a dough cutter to combine and work the dough. You can also use your hands if you don't have a dough cutter (but be careful not to burn yourself on the hot water!)
Once you have incorporated all of the liquid and formed the dough, let it sit for a minute to cool off. It will be very sticky at first but will become less sticky as it cools. If it still seems too sticky after cooling, sprinkle in a bit extra yuca flour and work it into the dough. Some of the stickiness is due to the gelatin, which won't go away no matter how much extra flour you add.
Work dough into a large ball and place in the middle of a 12-inch pizza pan or on a large baking sheet. Spread evenly and bake for 10-12 minutes. The crust should have pulled away from the edges and turned a golden color.
While crust is cooking, mix your shredded chicken with 4 Tbsp of BBQ sauce and set aside.
Prep all vegetable toppings that you will be including. Place them in a bowl and drizzle olive oil on top and toss to coat. They need this oil bath since there is no cheese on top of this pizza.
When it's done, remove crust and spread 4 Tbsp of BBQ sauce over it. I recommend getting as close to the edge as possible, because the unexposed crust will be VERY hard. It's nice if it's just a thin sliver, but if you leave a large portion (like a "normal" pizza crust) I don't think it will turn out well.
Evenly spread all toppings that you will be using EXCEPT the cilantro. Again, push them as close to the edges as possible leaving only a very thin strip of crust at the edge.
Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Before serving, generously sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. Don't sprinkle it on any slices that won't be served immediately.
Serve and enjoy!!

Recipe Notes

This recipe reheats VERY well and even tastes good cold (if you are into cold pizza). Just pop it in a 350F oven until warmed (just takes a couple of minutes)
You can also try this recipe with only 1 Tbsp of gelatin for a less sticky, and less chewy crust.
If you don't have any leftover shredded chicken, you can get what you need for this pizza from 1 large or 2 small chicken thighs. Bake them at 425F until the juices run clear, somewhere around 20-30 minutes.

AIP BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza // TheCuriousCoconut.com

Recommended Tools and Ingredients

This post contains affiliate links for things that I use in my own kitchen and believe you will enjoy, too. My full affiliate disclosure is here. Thanks for your support! :-)