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BBQ Chicken Pizza Pinwheels are dippable, bite-sized appetizers packed with barbecue sauced chicken, onions, cheese and cilantro wrapped up in pizza dough and baked until golden. Serve as a snack, or even for lunch or dinner with your choice of dipping sauces.

pinwheels made from pizza dough filled with bbq chicken, cheese, onions and cilantro.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

One of my favorite lunch dates is California Pizza Kitchen for their their BBQ Chicken Pizza. It’s got chunks of chicken, melty cheese, BBQ sauce, onion and cilantro and it’s delicious. It’s been a favorite of mine for years and I finally made my own simplified version at home.

Obviously CPK’s pizza will be on their own pizza dough and in pizza form, but to keep it simple and fast, I opted for refrigerated pizza dough from the grocery store. Super simple, top, roll up, slice and bake. You can use your own homemade pizza dough, but it will need to be rolled out thin.

BBQ Chicken Pizza Pinwheels are an easy to make, delicious snack that even kids can make!

close up of a barbecue chicken pizza pinwheel

How to Make BBQ Chicken Pizza Pinwheels

Here are detailed instructions for making BBQ Chicken Pizza Pinwheels, with tips for success. You will find the printable recipe with a complete ingredients list and instructions below.

  1. Preheat your oven. This is especially important with dough based foods because the even temperature helps the dough to rise and bake properly.
  2. Roll out the dough. Sprinkle flour or cornmeal on a large, flat surface to keep the dough from sticking. A little flour or cooking spray on your fingers can help with pressing the dough out as well.
  3. Add pizza toppings. A BBQ Chicken Pizza has barbecue sauce spread out as the base, then cheese (we use a cheddar-jack blend), shredded chicken, diced red onion and chopped cilantro.
  4. Roll and slice. Starting from the long end of the rectangle of dough, roll carefully to make sure the filling stays put, until you’ve got a log shape. Use a sharp, serrated knife to cut the log into 1-inch pieces.
  5. Bake. Place the pinwheels onto a lined baking sheet and bake as directed. The tops and bottoms should be golden brown. Each piece should hold it’s form really well and not be doughy at all.
BBQ Chicken Pizza Pinwheels arranged on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Tops Tips for Recipe Success

  • Pinwheels can be prepped up to 24 hours ahead of time. Follow the instructions up to rolling into a log shape. Do not cut. Wrap the log tightly in plastic wrap, securing the ends, and place in the fridge. Cut and bake when ready.
  • Feel free to customize ingredients based on your personal preference. If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, skip it or use parsley instead. Mozzarella cheese works well in place of the cheddar-jack. Add bacon for a salty savory flavor.
  • Use a serrated knife for cutting. The “teeth” help to cut through the rolled up bbq chicken pizza without pulling the dough.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven, or enjoy cold.

Serving Suggestions for BBQ Chicken Pizza Pinwheels

We like to make our own sauce using barbecue sauce and Ranch dressing. You could use just one or the other if you like. Any of your favorite barbecue sauces will work.

If BBQ Chicken Pizza Pinwheels are going to be part of your appetizer spread, they go great with the flavors in our Crispy Baked Chicken Wings, Sausage Balls, and Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites. Or serve the pinwheels as part of a light meal with a copycat Olive Garden Salad on the side.

a hand holding a rolled dough pinwheel with chicken and cheese and dipping it into barbecue sauce.

More Appetizers We Love:

Recipe
A close up of BBQ chicken stuffed pinwheels.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza Pinwheels

5 from 4 votes
BBQ Chicken Pizza Pinwheels are dippable, bite-sized appetizers packed with chicken, onions, cheese and cilantro wrapped up and baked in pizza dough.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 5 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 11 ounce can Refrigerated Crescents or Pizza Dough
  • 1/4 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
  • 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack Cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 2 teaspoons minced cilantro
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Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Or use parchment paper or a silicone mat.
  • Lightly flour a large wooden cutting board. Roll out dough onto the floured surface, pressing seams together as you go if necessary.
  • Spread barbecue sauce evenly over the dough, to the edges. Top with shredded cheese, chicken, onions and cilantro.
  • Roll dough slowly, keeping the filling in place as much as possible, and seal the edges. *Roll width-wise (the longest side) for smaller pinwheels, and length-wise (the shortest side) for larger pinwheels. Cut the log into 1-inch pieces.
  • Place pinwheels on the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9-11 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
  • Allow to cool for a couple of minutes then serve with barbecue ranch dipping sauce (1 part bottled barbecue sauce, 1 part bottled ranch dressing).

Notes

Nutritional information is approximate based on the ingredients I used. 
Serving size is 2 pieces, based on getting 10 pieces from the recipe. The size of your slices will determine actually serving size.
Keyword bbq chicken pizza

Nutrition

Serving: 2piecesCalories: 244kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 9gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 689mgPotassium: 59mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 162IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 131mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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Comments

  1. Corrie says:

    Hi! This recipe has been here for A while, so I’m hoping somebody is still looking at this now and then to answer a simple question. Or, a silly question?

    So here’s my question, can you eat these cold or do they have to be warmed? I was thinking of serving them at a potluck lunch for our teachers on Wednesday but we’re not allowed to bring in hot stuff it Hass to be just finger food that no cooking or reheating as required from anybody have any thoughts?

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Sorry I missed this question, Corrie. They are best enjoyed immediately, and warm.

  2. Debbie says:

    Can these be made ahead of time, frozen and reheated?

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Yes, reheat in the oven. Fresh is going to taste the best though.

  3. Kim says:

    My whole family loved these!

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! thanks for stopping Kim.

  4. Sallyjojo says:

    Very tasty, added twice the chicken and love me some cilantro!

    1. Kristin says:

      So glad you enjoyed it Sallyjojo! Thank you for sharing your experience.

  5. Ivonne says:

    can I make these ahead of time and leave them in the fridge over night?

    They sound so good!

    1. Kristin says:

      If you’re going to bake them and then put them in the fridge, that would be ok. However I wouldn’t leave the raw dough in the fridge like that. Bake them the night before then put them in the oven to reheat the next day.

  6. Michelle says:

    Love Cilantro!!!! I cannot wait to make all of your versions (Cheddar Jalapeno and Pizza) and come up with a few of my own! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!

  7. Maureen says:

    I’m a cilantro hater! Even the smell of it growing outside bothers me..

  8. Jen @ Yummy Healthy Easy says:

    OMG you are too funny!! Yes, I’ve heard you either love cilantro or hate it. I happen to adore cilantro and will be sprinkling it ALL over my barbecue chicken pizza pinwheels – yum! 😉 Thanks for the recipe, pinned!

  9. Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says:

    Oh man, those look insanely good!