French Bread Pizza

Behind This French Bread Pizza Recipe

Learning how to make French bread pizza is an easy hack to making pizza at home, without fussing with homemade dough. As much as I love my scratch-made Neapolitan pizza, there are just nights when I need something quicker and easier.

For today’s recipe, I’m showing my version of BBQ chicken French bread pizza. BBQ chicken pizza is one of the first non-traditional flavors I discovered back when California Pizza Kitchen was at its prime, and I’ve loved it ever since.

My favorite part is that you can use the same method to create different flavor combinations. Since you slice the bread in half, each side can be different flavors. Of course there is traditional pepperoni or meat lovers, but I love Thai peanut chicken, buffalo chicken, etc. The options are endless and great for kids!

Tips from My Kitchen

• Use soft, freshly baked bread. If you can get a soft French bread loaf from the bakery, that is the best option for this recipe.
• Remove some of the bread. To make room for all of the topping, remove some of the bread from the center of the sliced loaf. Just don’t remove too much or all the way down to the crust.
• Don’t go too crazy on the sauce. Spread just a thin layer of sauce under the toppings, to prevent the bread from becoming too soggy.
• Have fun with it. This French bread pizza recipe is adaptable to truly any pizza toppings. I included a whole bunch of our favorite combos below the Ingredients notes.

Ingredient Notes

Here’s an overview of the ingredients I use to make BBQ chicken French bread pizza. The exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

• French bread – An Italian loaf also works. Whichever you use, make sure it’s freshly made and soft.
• Protein – I used chicken tenders and bacon in this recipe. Chicken breast or thighs work as well.
• Seasonings – Chili powder, brown sugar, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Alternately, you can purchase a BBQ rub for your chicken.
• Sauce – Any BBQ sauce you like works. I used Sweet Baby Ray’s combined with a homemade Alabama White BBQ Sauce. 
• Mozzarella – Fresh mozzarella makes a nice touch, but regular shredded mozzarella is great, too.
• Red onion – Sliced red onion adds some extra flavor, though it can be omitted for anyone who doesn’t like onions.

French Bread Pizza Variations

Any toppings you like on your regular pizza can be used in this recipe! Here are a few of my favorite flavor combinations.

• Traditional cheese. Use your favorite pizza or marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. Add pepperoni, mushrooms, or any other desired toppings.
• Chicken bacon ranch. Swap the BBQ sauce for ranch and the BBQ rub for ranch or Italian seasoning, but keep the chicken, bacon, and mozzarella. (And the red onions, if desired.)
• Buffalo chicken. Use a light coating of buffalo sauce as the sauce, toss the chicken in the desired seasonings, and top with cheese and a drizzle of ranch dressing.
• Veggie lovers. Classic marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and your favorite veggies, like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and olives.
• Meat lovers. Cook up some bacon and sausage and add it to marinara sauce and mozzarella, along with some diced ham.

How to Make BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza

Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe, using the BBQ chicken version as an example. Just swap the chicken and BBQ sauce for your desired toppings, if using a variation.

• Cook the chicken & bacon. Preheat the oven to 400F. Season the chicken on both sides. Cook in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle the bacon with BBQ rub and bake for 15 minutes. Dice the chicken and chop the bacon.
• Prep the bread. Cut the bread lengthwise. Pull some of the excess bread from the center so there’s more room for the fillings.
• Assemble. Baste the inside of the bread with BBQ sauce. Top with shredded cheese, chicken, bacon, and sliced onions. Top with Alabama white sauce and more BBQ sauce, followed by the remaining cheese.
• Bake. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted. Enjoy!

Storing & Reheating

Store leftover French bread pizza in the fridge for 2-3 days. For best results, reheat in the oven as the microwave can make it a bit soggy.

Leftovers can also be frozen. Just wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze. Bake in the oven directly from frozen.

Looking for More Fun Pizza-Inspired Recipes?

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizzadilla is a fun appetizer that uses quesadillas as the pizza crust and if you love pickles, you have to try Chicken Bacon Pickle Pizza. Hawaiian Roll Pizza is a family favorite that uses sweet Hawaiian rolls as crust. And I can’t stop making these Garlic Parmesan Mini Deep Dish Pizzas.