This barbecue chicken naan bread pizza comes together in minutes and offers all the comforting goodness of pizza without feeling too indulgent. Topped with barbecue sauce, chicken, red onions, and fresh mozzarella, each slice offers a delightful combination of sweet and salty flavors.
We love pizza 🍕 in this house. My husband requests it every birthday and our little ones have been scoffing down slices ever since they were tiny. During our baby-led weaning days, I slathered low-sodium bread with passata and fresh mozzarella, tossed it into the oven for 10 minutes, and cut it into sticks so the girls could have their own baby-friendly version of ‘za while we enjoyed the real thing.
I’ve been using naan bread as our base for years and it continues to serve us well. I love a hand-pulled pizza crust from time to time but when I need something quick and easy naan rounds are a solid substitute!
Full-Fat vs. Low-Fat Dairy Products: Which One is Healthier?
Now that we’re talking about ingredients, I want to touch on a controversial topic – full-fat vs. low-fat dairy. This recipe uses regular fresh mozzarella not part-skim and there’s a reason for that.
Historically, we’ve told people to go for low-fat dairy products largely because full-fat dairy products contain more saturated fat and excess saturated fat intake has been linked with a variety of health issues. However, a growing body of research suggests that swapping full-fat dairy for low-fat options may not be necessary for everyone.
Here’s what the latest science says about full-fat dairy compared to low-fat:
- Data from both observational and randomized controlled trials indicates that consuming whole milk dairy does not increase your risk of heart disease or weight gain [1].
- Emerging evidence suggests that full-fat yogurt may have a favorable effect on blood lipids compared to low-fat yogurt and butter [2].
- Full-fat dairy products have a favorable effect on blood sugar compared to low-fat dairy products and may help protect against diabetes [3]
- Whole milk consumption has also been linked with ovarian cancer in observational studies and those at high risk may benefit from limiting whole milk [4].
- High-fat dairy consumption may contribute to colon cancer recurrence and mortality in people with colon cancer, and this group may benefit from switching to low-fat dairy products [5].
For most healthy people, full-fat dairy is not something to be feared and can be part of an otherwise healthy diet rich in plants. For certain groups such as those with a family history of ovarian cancer or colon cancer patients, switching to low-fat may make sense but for everyone else, it may not be entirely necessary.
Naan Bread Pizzas with Barbecue Chicken and Red Onions
This recipe combines barbecue sauce, cooked chicken, red onions, and fresh mozzarella over store-bought naan breads, and comes together in minutes. I like to top it with fresh cilantro and handfuls of peppery arugula but both are optional. Enjoy – this is a beloved recipe in my pizza-loving household!
Print
Barbecue Chicken Naan Pizzas
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This barbecue chicken naan pizza recipe comes together in minutes and offers all the comforting goodness of pizza without the heaviness.
Ingredients
- 4 naan rounds (I used 365 from Wholefoods Tandoori Naan)
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I used 365 from Wholefoods barbecue sauce)
- 1 cup fresh mozzarella
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- Fresh cilantro (optional)
- Baby arugula (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F/ 230C and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Thinly slice the red onion and mozzarella, and shred the spinach. Shred the chicken if you haven’t already done so.
- Place the naan rounds on the baking sheet. Spread the barbecue sauce evenly over the naan rounds.
- Top the naan rounds with red onion, shredded chicken, and spinach, followed by the mozzarella.
- Insert the baking sheet into the oven. Bake until the cheese is golden and bubbly, and the edges are slightly crispy (~15 minutes).
- Allow the naan pizzas to cool slightly and top with finely chopped fresh cilantro (if using).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 naan
- Calories: 474
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 990 mg
- Fat: 12.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 62.1 g
- Fiber: 2.7 g
- Protein: 26.7 g
References
[1] Pokala, A., Kraft, J., Taormina, V. M., Michalski, M. C., Vors, C., Torres-Gonzalez, M., & Bruno, R. S. (2024). Whole milk dairy foods and cardiometabolic health: dairy fat and beyond. Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.), 126, 99–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2024.03.010
[2] Ranjbar, Y. R., & Nasrollahzadeh, J. (2024). Comparison of the impact of saturated fat from full-fat yogurt or low-fat yogurt and butter on cardiometabolic factors: a randomized cross-over trial. European journal of nutrition, 63(4), 1213–1224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-024-03352-8
[3] Slurink, I. A. L., Voortman, T., Ochoa-Rosales, C., Ahmadizar, F., Kavousi, M., Kupper, N., Smeets, T., & Soedamah-Muthu, S. S. (2022). Dairy Product Consumption in Relation to Incident Prediabetes and Longitudinal Insulin Resistance in the Rotterdam Study. Nutrients, 14(3), 415. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030415
[4] Liao, M. Q., Gao, X. P., Yu, X. X., Zeng, Y. F., Li, S. N., Naicker, N., Joseph, T., Cao, W. T., Liu, Y. H., Zhu, S., Chen, Q. S., Yang, Z. C., & Zeng, F. F. (2020). Effects of dairy products, calcium and vitamin D on ovarian cancer risk: a meta-analysis of twenty-nine epidemiological studies. The British journal of nutrition, 124(10), 1001–1012. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114520001075
[5] van Lanen, A. S., Kok, D. E., Wesselink, E., Winkels, R. M., van Halteren, H. K., de Wilt, J. H. W., Kampman, E., & van Duijnhoven, F. J. B. (2023). Pre- and post-diagnostic dairy intake in relation to recurrence and all-cause mortality in people with stage I-III colorectal cancer. European journal of nutrition, 62(7), 2891–2904. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-023-03201-0
