Sometimes I crave barbecue chicken pizza. I realize this is heresy to many pizza lovers. Like its more famous heretical cousin, the Hawaiian pizza, barbecue chicken pizza is a regional take on pizza that draws the ire of pizza traditionalists across the internet. The most vocal pizza traditionalists come from New York, where pizza innovation is against the law, and pizza innovators are mocked without mercy and told to “go back to California,” as if that’s an insult, which it is not.
Have you ever wondered who came up with the brilliant idea to slather BBQ sauce on a pizza and top it with chicken? I mean, it’s such a popular combo these days that it feels like it’s been around forever! But surprisingly BBQ chicken pizza isn’t some ancient Italian creation – it’s actually a relatively modern invention with a fascinating origin story.
Let’s learn about the interesting history of this one-of-a-kind pizza that changed the way we think about pizza toppings for good.
The Mastermind Behind BBQ Chicken Pizza: Ed LaDou
If you thought BBQ chicken pizza was some recent millennial creation you’d be way off! This tasty pizza combination dates all the way back to 1985 – yep. that’s almost 40 years ago!
A talented pizza chef named Ed LaDou came up with this new way to cook. This guy wasn’t just any pizza maker; he was a visionary who changed everyone’s ideas about what could go on a pizza.
Ed LaDou: The Pizza Maverick
LaDou was already making waves in the food world before he made the BBQ chicken pizza that would become his signature dish. His boss was none other than famous chef Wolfgang Puck, who ran the famous Los Angeles restaurant Spago.
While working at Spago, LaDou created some truly outrageous pizza combinations that were considered revolutionary at the time:
- Pizzas topped with smoked salmon
- Duck sausage creations
- Ricotta cheese variations
- Pate toppings
- Mustard and red pepper combinations
LaDou wasn’t thinking like most people when he made these pepperoni and cheese pies. They were so popular that it was almost impossible to get a reservation at Spago. It was clear that the man was very good at coming up with new flavor profiles.
The Birth of California Pizza Kitchen and BBQ Chicken Pizza
In 1985, LaDou’s pizza genius caught the attention of Larry Flax, co-founder of what would become the wildly successful California Pizza Kitchen (CPK).
When CPK launched its first menu, it featured several of LaDou’s unconventional pizza combinations:
- Thai chicken pizza
- Jamaican jerk chicken pizza
- And the now-famous original BBQ chicken pizza
The original BBQ chicken pizza recipe created by LaDou included:
- Shredded chicken
- Homemade BBQ sauce
- Onions
- Cilantro
- Fontina cheese
This combination might not seem that unusual today, but back in 1985, it was revolutionary! Pizza had traditionally been limited to Italian-inspired toppings, and the idea of putting BBQ sauce and chicken on a pizza was considered pretty darn weird by mainstream standards.
LaDou’s Legacy Continues
After his success with CPK, LaDou went on to open his own restaurant called Caioti Pizza Café. There, he continued to push the boundaries of pizza innovation, creating even more unusual and delicious combinations.
Some of his other famous pizza creations at Caioti featured toppings like:
- Gorgonzola cheese
- Porcini mushrooms
- Ground American bison
- Scrambled eggs
- Hash browns
- And of course, variations of his famous BBQ chicken pizza
Sadly, LaDou passed away in 2007, but his culinary legacy lives on. After his death, his wife and daughters continued serving his unique pizza creations at Caioti, keeping his innovative spirit alive.
Why Did BBQ Chicken Pizza Become So Popular?
So why did this unusual combination catch on and become such a pizza staple? I think it’s because BBQ chicken pizza perfectly blends familiar comfort foods in a new and exciting way:
- The perfect flavor balance – The sweetness of BBQ sauce pairs perfectly with savory chicken and cheese
- Familiar ingredients in a new context – People already loved BBQ chicken and pizza separately
- The California cuisine movement – LaDou’s invention coincided with a broader trend toward fusion cuisines
- Chain restaurant adoption – Once CPK proved it was popular, other pizza chains quickly created their own versions
Modern BBQ Chicken Pizza Variations
Today, nearly every pizza restaurant offers some version of BBQ chicken pizza. Each place puts their own spin on LaDou’s original creation by adding different toppings or using their signature sauces.
For example, Hungry Howie’s BBQ Chicken pizza features:
- Sweet BBQ sauce
- Grilled chicken
- Onions
- Savory bacon
- Mozzarella cheese
- And comes on your choice of their famous flavored crusts
Other common variations you’ll find at different pizza places might include:
- Red onions instead of white
- Different cheese blends (some use cheddar with mozzarella)
- Addition of bacon (which wasn’t in the original)
- Green peppers or other vegetables
- Different BBQ sauce styles (smoky, spicy, honey, etc.)
How to Make Your Own BBQ Chicken Pizza at Home
Wanna try making your own BBQ chicken pizza at home? It’s actually pretty simple! Here’s a basic recipe inspired by LaDou’s original creation:
Ingredients:
- 1 pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (your favorite brand)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (you can add fontina too if you want to be authentic)
- Optional: 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 450°F
- Roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface
- Spread BBQ sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a small border for the crust
- Sprinkle about 1/2 of the cheese over the sauce
- Add the shredded chicken, sliced onions, and bacon (if using)
- Top with remaining cheese
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh cilantro
- Slice and enjoy!
The Impact of BBQ Chicken Pizza on Food Culture
Ed LaDou’s invention of BBQ chicken pizza didn’t just create a new menu item – it fundamentally changed how people thought about pizza. Before the BBQ chicken pizza boom, most Americans viewed pizza as an Italian food with limited topping options.
After LaDou demonstrated that you could successfully put unexpected ingredients on pizza, the floodgates opened. Today we have all kinds of creative pizza toppings that might never have been accepted if BBQ chicken pizza hadn’t paved the way:
- Buffalo chicken pizza
- Thai-inspired pizzas
- Breakfast pizzas
- Dessert pizzas
- And countless other variations
In many ways, LaDou helped invent not just a pizza, but an entire approach to cuisine that values experimentation and cross-cultural fusion.
What Makes a True BBQ Chicken Pizza?
While there are now countless variations of BBQ chicken pizza, purists might argue that a true BBQ chicken pizza should stay somewhat faithful to LaDou’s original creation. The key elements that define an authentic BBQ chicken pizza include:
- BBQ sauce base instead of traditional tomato sauce
- Chicken as the primary protein (usually shredded or diced)
- Onions (red or white) for a bit of sharpness
- Cilantro for freshness and color
- A complementary cheese that works well with the BBQ flavor
Everything beyond these basics is open to interpretation and personal preference!
Final Thoughts: The Legacy of Ed LaDou’s Invention
When Ed LaDou first created BBQ chicken pizza back in 1985, I doubt he realized just how much impact his invention would have on American food culture. What started as one chef’s creative experiment has become a mainstream pizza option available in nearly every pizza restaurant across the country.
LaDou’s willingness to break the rules and combine unexpected flavors reminds us that some of the best culinary innovations come from thinking outside the box. His creation wasn’t just about putting BBQ sauce and chicken on a pizza – it was about challenging our assumptions about what food can be.
So the next time you’re enjoying a slice of BBQ chicken pizza, take a moment to appreciate the culinary pioneer who invented this delicious combination. Ed LaDou’s creativity forever changed the pizza landscape and opened the door for countless other innovative food combinations.
Fun fact: BBQ chicken pizza is so ingrained in our food culture now that many people are surprised to learn it has a specific inventor and hasn’t been around for generations!
Barbecue chicken pizza backstory
The credit for inventing barbecue chicken pizza belongs to a man hero named Ed LaDou. A 2007 LA Times obituary of LaDou described him as a pizza “pioneer. ”.
In the early 1980s, the story goes, Wolfgang Puck discovered LaDou working at a restaurant called Prego in San Francisco. There, Puck ate a pizza topped with ricotta cheese, red peppers, pate, and mustard. He loved it! So Puck offered LaDou a job as head pizza chef at a restaurant he planned to open in Los Angeles called Spago.
At Spago, LaDou made pizza topped with smoked salmon and pizza topped with duck sausage. He also helped Wolfgang Puck make “California cuisine” famous. LaDou once said of his time at Spago, “It was like an artist who had only used 10 colors all his life and then got to use 300.”
In the end, LaDou quit Spago to become the first executive chef for California Pizza Kitchen, a chain of casual restaurants. That’s where LaDou invented barbecue chicken pizza. Barbecue chicken pizza has chicken (obviously), barbecue sauce (duh), cilantro (yum), red onions, mozzarella (of course), and gouda (oh so gouda). It’s a less fancy pie than the ones LaDou made at Spago.
Barbecue chicken pizza and the story that wasn’t
Recently, Christina and I went to the California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. Our waiter was Frank. He looked like a normal guy, but Frank had one of those voices like the men—it’s always a man, for some reason—who narrate movie trailers. Right away, I knew this barbecue chicken pizza would be a cinematic experience.
After we put in our order and Frank came back with our drinks, I asked him if he did anyone voice over work.
“How’d you guess?” he asked.
“Your voice,” I said. “It’s fantastic.”
“Thanks. I am a voice over actor, but with the strike, I took this job for extra cash.”
“Have you done any movie trailers?” Christina asked.
“No, just commercials,” Frank said. “Low, low prices… act now, while supplies last… that kind of stuff. But I’ve been getting into audiobooks recently. There’s a lot of work there.”
“I love audiobooks,” I said.
“It’s true,” Christina said. “He goes through two a week, sometimes three.”
“I’m just starting out, so I’m not exactly getting the pick of the litter. Honestly, I think a lot of the books I’ve narrated were written by ChatGPT. At first, they almost sound like they make sense, but then you realize that they’re totally useless. Like, I narrated a book on six-figure side hustles, and at first I was like, cool, I do side hustles, I want to make six-figures. But the advice was stuff like, many side hustles can be lucrative, but you have to hustle. No kidding, right? Or, I did self-help book that was only, like, forty pages, and the advice was one level above fortune cookie. One piece of advice was to do something you love. Not exactly new material, you know?”
I was riveted. Listening to people talk about themselves is my kink. Plus, Frank’s story was topical. There were references to Hollywood’s ongoing labor dispute, a behind-the-scenes look at audiobooks, and the bleak prospect of a future overrun with AI-generated content. I saw Frank’s story as Norma Rae meets Terminator. Or maybe Newsies meets Her? We could talk details, I thought, over barbecue chicken pizza. But before I could ask why someone who “wrote” a book with ChatGPT would hire a human instead of using an AI voice, Frank’s manager put the kibosh on a good situation.
“I’m sorry guys,” Frank said in a hushed tone. “My manager is watching me. I’m supposed to keep it brief.”
I looked around. The restaurant wasn’t busy. It looked like Frank had time to chat and serve, but that wasn’t up to me, or Frank. I wasn’t even sure if Frank’s manager was the true shot caller.
Had Frank already said too much? Maybe the people at corporate had grown tired of chatty servers like Frank. Maybe they had already set in motion a program to replace Frank with a robot waiter that took orders, never missed an opportunity to upsell, and didn’t come with a story. Maybe a robot manager, complete with a passive-aggressive spy mode, was in the works too.
I enjoyed our barbecue chicken pizza. But as we ate and tried not to talk to Frank, I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. An actor waiting tables to make ends meet is a very LA story. But this story felt like it had taken a dark turn. At his day job, the company seemed to be squeezing the humanity out of Frank. At Frank’s other job—narrating books written by machines—felt just as dehumanizing.
How Barbecue Chicken Pizza Started at California Pizza Kitchen — Cult Following
FAQ
Who made the BBQ chicken pizza?
Barbecue chicken pizza, the brainchild of Ed LaDou, the first pizza chef at Wolfgang Puck’s famed Los Angeles restaurant, Spago and the original California Pizza Kitchen’s menu developer, has been popular ever since LaDou conceived the idea in 1985.
Did CPK invent the barbecue chicken pizza?
Who Invented BBQ Chicken Pizza? American pizza chef Edward LaDou developed this pizza for California Pizza Kitchen. He had been working for Wolfgang Puck at his restaurant Spago in Los Angeles, and he had developed a name for himself with his unusual pizza combinations.
Who started BBQ chicken?
Our Story. In 1995, Our Chairman Yoon Hong-guen founded bb.
Who first put barbecue sauce on pizza?
Famous chef Ed LaDou — who had previously topped pizzas with duck sausage, mustard, and smoked salmon while working under Wolfgang Puck — was the genius behind this iteration of BBQ pizza. Nowadays, BBQ pizza, whether it’s topped with pork or chicken, can be found just about everywhere!.