What do you think of when you hear the word “cowboy”? Horses, maybe, and revolvers, red Indians, and lassoes. All that good stuff from a Western. But what about pizza? Cowboys and pizza seem as far apart as the Wild West and Italy, and yet when you put the two together you get a delicious (and healthy!) meal that takes just minutes to prepare.
What is a Cowboy Pizza?
To be honest, there isn’t an official definition as far as we can tell. But there are a few things that set a cowboy pizza apart from its Italian cousins.
It’s a thick crust pizza with chicken, ranch dressing, and a good deal of veggies. In fact, the name probably comes from the fact that you’re supposed to use barbecued chicken or beef as the main part of your topping.
It’s also supposed to be simple. Think along the lines of what a cowboy would cook up as a treat for spending a few months out on the ranch. A cowboy pizza is rustic, healthy, and, as we said, simple.
Ingredients for a Cowboy Pizza
Everything you’ll need to make a cowboy pizza can be bought at your local grocers or supermarket. Remember, there’s no “right way” to do this. You can add your favorite ingredients as you like. But to give you a head start, here’s what we recommend:
- Shredded Mozzarella (1-2 cups)
- Chopped cooked chicken (1-2 cups)
- Chopped green onions (1-2)
- Dried oregano (1 tablespoon)
- Barbecue sauce (16 ounces)
- Pizza crust (1)
Is your mouth watering already? We know ours are! But before we get to the preparation, there’s something you should know about choosing a crust for your perfect pizza.
There are three ways you can go when selecting a pizza crust.
01. Store-bought
The simplest method. You can buy it from any old supermarket.
02. Buy dough from a local pizzeria
Ask nicely! Your local pizza joint might gladly sell you some of their signature dough. Great if you love how their pies taste.
03. Make your own
Definitely the most challenging. But also really rewarding! If you practice, you can come up with your own signature recipe.
Made up your mind? Great! Now that you have a pizza crust and all the other yummies, let’s saddle up and see how to prepare a cowboy pizza.
Preparation Instructions for a Cowboy Pizza
- Put your chopped chicken in a medium bowl. Add four tablespoons of barbecue sauce. Mix everything until the chicken is lightly coated. Set aside.
- Spread the remaining barbecue sauce over your pizza crust. If that feels like too much, you can use less barbecue sauce. Sprinkle the oregano. Sprinkle half of the cheese.
- Add chicken on top of the pizza (finally!). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese, followed by the chopped green onions.
- Bake in a 400-degrees Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the cheese is bubbly. If you’re using a store-bought crust, follow the baking instructions on the package!
- Serve it while it’s warm.
And that’s the way the rodeo plays out. This recipe isn’t exactly a wild bronco, it’s rather simple, and you should be able to tame this beast in about 40 minutes. That’s 15 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of baking at the most.
Now that we know how to make a cowboy pizza, let’s look at how healthy it is.
Nutrition information of Cowboy Pizza
Here’s the thing. This is a pizza, and pizza isn’t salad. Our point is, you shouldn’t eat pizza for breakfast every day, no matter how healthy the ingredients on the top of the pizza are.
That being said, a cowboy pizza is still a whole load healthier than the kind of pizza you might usually get delivered from a popular restaurant chain. So the next time you’re feeling a hankering for some carbs, consider rustling up a cowboy pizza instead of ordering from Pizza Hut.
And by the way, our cowboy pizza recipe should net you about 230kcal. Use that number to plan your diet if you need to.
Some final thoughts.
Before you ride off into the sunset like a lone cowboy, here are some tips we’d like to give you about making a cowboy pizza.
Your pizza doesn’t have to be pretty. It’s called “cowboy pizza”, not “perfect 5-star restaurant gourmet pizza”. If your pizza looks like something a cowboy would chow down on next to a campfire under a star-lit night, you’ve nailed it. Remember, a messy cowboy pizza can taste just as good as one that’s all prim and proper.
Also, this recipe is incredibly adaptable. You can toss in anything you like. When in doubt, remember that cowboys can’t be picky! They grab whatever they can get their hands on and turn it into a delicious and filling meal.
So that’s our take on a cowboy pizza. Let us know down in the comments if yours turned out good, and what you added to your own version. Yeehaw!
Fun fact: the legendary cowboy era of the wild west, which has produced more than a century of books, movies, and songs, ironically only lasted about 30 years!
