Working Mom’s Make-Ahead Meals:BBQ Chicken Pizza

Let’s face it, we all have those moments where we don’t really feel like cooking and are tempted to call for take-out. We’re too exhausted from working all day, feeling a little under the weather or just don’t feel like cooking. My solution for feeling like this is to plan a meal my family enjoys that I can make in the slow cooker. I can be at work all day or stuck in bed with the flu and know that I can still feed my family at dinner time. Working Mom’s can worry less when they try to make meals ahead of time. With the ingredients I had on hand in the pantry and refrigerator, I made this great meal in a matter of minutes.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2 cups BBQ Chicken
• 1 1/2 cups Mozzerella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 Roma tomato, sliced
• 1/3 cup red onion, sliced

Directions:

• Pre-cook the chicken breasts (I usually cook a whole bag and freeze what I’m not going to use)

1. Place the shredded chicken in slow cooker.
2. Add your favorite BBQ sauce (I added a Honey BBQ sauce to this recipe.)
3. Add 1 cup water.
4. Remove frozen pizza dough from freezer and place in a warm place to defrost and rise again.
5. Cook on low setting for 4-6 hours (If your slow cooker has a timer setting, set the timer to start 4-6 hours before you get off work. You could also make the BBQ chicken the night before and refrigerate.)
6. When you get home, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. (Oven temperatures vary.)
7. Roll out pizza dough and spread 1 1/2-2 cups of BBQ chicken on top of dough. Add cheese, topped with bell pepper, tomato and onion.
8. Place on a pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes or until pizza crust is lightly brown.
9. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Noel’s Quick Notes: You can use whatever toppings are your favorite for pizzas. These ingredients were what I had on hand. And remember,  a working mom can put dinner on the table in a matter of minutes that’s delicious and one the whole family will love!

Coming Up Next….A Guest Post from Sarah Morris: A Recipe for Sharing Time in the Kitchen with Your Children