Grilled BBQ Chicken Flatbread
Fire up the grill and host friends and family for a backyard barbecue. Grilled barbecue chicken flatbread makes the perfect centerpiece for an outdoor party. Studded with fresh summer vegetables and grilled barbecue chicken, this flatbread serves a crowd, looks impressive, but it’s actually incredibly simple to make. This recipe is easy entertaining at its finest.
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2026 Update: This recipe was originally shared in August 2018. The recipe and post include new photos, as well as more tips and tricks. I hope you love it!
Back in the summer of 2018, my husband, elder daughter and I were in the thick of moving, and I was extremely pregnant. One weekend, my in-laws came to help us pack up our house.
As a thank you for their assistance, we fired up the grill that Saturday night and made Grilled BBQ Chicken Flatbread.
This is the kind of recipe that perfectly captures my hosting style: laidback… but with a gourmet flair. Nothing fussy or complicated — just really good food that looks and tastes elevated without stress or a ton of time in the kitchen.
Why I love this recipe:
My kids have turned our family into a pizza and flatbread family, so any recipes like this are always gobbled up. I also love flatbread because it is the perfect entree for entertaining. It makes a lot, it can be sliced up, and it easily feeds a crowd. It’s also really easy to scale.
Plus, you can load the flatbread up with fresh summer vegetables like zucchini, red onion, bell pepper and fresh basil… or keep things simple with just the barbecue chicken and cheese.
This combination of sweet-savory BBQ chicken flavors and that crispy grilled crust is always a hit with a crowd.
Whether you’re grilling for family, friends, or hosting a backyard dinner party, this flatbread feels special without being fussy. Again, this is my hosting philosophy encapsulated in a single dish.
More summertime recipes to share outdoors: Summer Fruit Salad | Grilled Steak Flatbread Pizza | Cheeseburger Kebabs (Deconstructed Cheeseburger Bites)
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Grill (or if you don’t have this, a grill pan or an oven)
- Baking dish or gallon-sized plastic bag (for marinating the chicken)
- Kitchen mallet
- Baking sheet
- Kitchen thermometer
- Tongs
- Pizza cutter
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here are the simple ingredients that you need to get from the grocery store:
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts — these are the base for the barbecue chicken. What I like to do is butterfly them to make them thinner or pound them out with a meat mallet so that they grill pretty quickly. You can also purchase chicken breast cutlets from the store, and those will do the trick here as well.
- Barbecue sauce — you can make your own or purchase your favorite from the grocery store. I appreciate a barbecue sauce that is not as sweet, but this is a personal preference. You will need this as a part of the chicken marinade, as well as the base for the flatbread.
- Flatbread — I purchased a two-pack from the grocery store. You can make your own if you prefer.
- Pizza sauce — you can make your own pizza sauce, or you can get the jarred version at the grocery store. Do whatever works best for you.
- Mozzarella pearls — shredded mozzarella cheese is fun and all, but fresh mozzarella pearls are perfect for this flatbread. They’re cute and they feel fancy and they melt beautifully as the flatbread girls
- Zucchini — a small fresh zucchini, sliced into thin slices, is what you are looking for here. The thinner you slice it, the faster it will cook.
- Pickled red onion — my original recipe called for raw red onion, but I am just a really big fan of pickled red onion, so I used that here instead. If you prefer raw red onion, feel free to use that. Keep in mind that the thicker the onion is sliced, the longer it will take to cook.
- Bell pepper — my original recipe calls for a purple bell pepper, but I had yellow and red and orange peppers when I photographed this again. Use your favorite type of sweet pepper and slice it thinly.
- Fresh basil leaves — these are for garnish at the very end. Do not add them until the pizza has cooled off a little bit, otherwise the basil leaves will wilt.
Variations and adaptations:
You can customize this flatbread to your taste buds and likings. Here are some things I might do if I wanted to adapt it or make the recipe faster
- Swap the chicken. Instead of making BBQ chicken, use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken and toss with your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Use different cheese. Well, I love classic mozzarella pearls. You could honestly use any type of cheese that sounds good here: cheddar cheese, smoked Gouda cheese, parmesan would all be excellent here, too.
- Finish it with sauces. Add a bonus drizzle of barbecue sauce to finish it off. You could also add a drizzle of ranch dressing if that is more your speed.
- Use a different base. Naan bread or pizza dough would be a great swap if you can’t find flatbread.
How to make BBQ chicken:
Before you begin, make sure your chicken breasts are of even thickness. Whenever I purchase them from the store and think they are too thick, I will cut butterfly them into even pieces so that they will cook more evenly.
Additionally, a thinner chicken breast will soak up more of the marinade than a thicker one.
Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish or a plastic bag. Measure in the BBQ sauce, then transfer to the refrigerator. Let the chicken marinate 30 minutes to an hour.
Preheat the grill to around 450°F. We want the grill extremely hot.
When the grill is at the proper temperature, turn off the fire on one side. This is where the chicken will cook. If you don’t do this and leave the flame on, there’s a very real chance your chicken will get burnt to a crisp because the barbecue sauce has sugar in it and will catch fire.
Grill the chicken. Use tongs to place the raw chicken on the unlit side of the grill. Cook until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Rest. Remove the chicken from the grill, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
How to cook flatbread on the grill:
Continue warming the grill. Cover the grill when the chicken is done, and let the heat continue to circulate while you assemble the flatbreads.
Make the sauce. Combine the pizza sauce and barbecue sauce in a small bowl. Stir until combined, then set aside.
Assemble the flatbread.
- Place the flatbread on a baking sheet.
- Spread half of the pizza sauce-BBQ sauce mixture on top.
- Add the mozzarella pearls.
- Sprinkle on the cooked chicken, ribboned zucchini, pickled red onion and bell pepper slices in an even layer.
Pro tip!
Light only half of your grill and cook the flatbread on the unlit side. If the flame flickers directly beneath the flatbread, the crust can burn before the toppings finish cooking through. Aim for a gentle, indirect heat.
Cook the flatbread. Turn off one side of the grill, and transfer the flatbread to that side. Grill for 5-10 minutes until the cheese has completely melted and the vegetables are soft.
Finish it up! Let the flatbread cool slightly before adding the torn basil leaves. (You could swap this with chopped cilantro or parsley if you prefer.) Slice and enjoy!
DID YOU KNOW?
How to know it’s done: The edges of the flatbread should be golden and crispy, the cheese should be melted, and the chicken should be heated through. This usually takes 6-10 minutes depending on the grill temperature and how many toppings your flatbread has.
Other cooking methods for this BBQ chicken flatbread pizza:
You have two options:
- Cook it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a baking sheet or a pizza stone in the oven as it preheats. When the oven is ready, remove the baking sheet/pizza stone, and assemble the flatbread on it. Bake for 4-8 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and the cheese has melted, then remove and slice.
- Make it on the stovetop. Use a grill pan or a cast iron skillet on the stovetop.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
Honestly, grilled mains like this are my favorite for summertime entertaining because they are easy and fun and fresh. Flatbread recipes are particularly great because you can customize them to everybody’s liking.
If I were serving this to share, here are a few things I might do…
- Prep the toppings early. Cook the chicken in advance, slice up everything finely, and let guests help assemble the flatbread when it’s time to eat.
- Double or triple the recipe… it’s incredibly easy to scale!
- Don’t stress about perfection. A slightly charred crust or uneven cheese melt adds character to your dish. Your guests care about flavor and fun, not Instagram-worthy presentation.
- Keep it simple. Serve this with a simple side salad or some grilled corn. You don’t need fancy. Let the flatbread be the star of the show.
Frequently Asked Questions
Either works. Store-bought flatbread is convenient and saves time. If you want to make your own, a basic pizza dough recipe will work perfectly. Just don’t add yeast. Flatbread is typically unleavened, unlike pizza dough.
Marinate the chicken 1-2 hours beforehand. Chop the vegetables, too. Keep everything in separate containers in the refrigerator. Assemble the flatbread right before grilling so the crust stays crispy.
Flatbread is typically unleavened, meaning it involves no yeast, while pizza dough usually contains yeast. This makes flatbread flatter and crispier, while pizza crust is puffier and airier.
Sure! Use whatever fresh summer vegetables you have on hand or prefer. Just make sure to slice them thinly so they cook during the time the flatbread is on the grill.
Quick tips and tricks for easy BBQ chicken flatbread:
Pound the chicken thin. Use a kitchen mallet. It is really important for them to be an even thickness so that they cook evenly and quickly on the grill. You don’t want to end up with dry or burnt edges and raw centers.
Time it accordingly. The chicken has to marinate for a couple of hours, but not more. The marinade could cause the texture to change if it is left for too long.
Slice the veggies thin. The thinner they are, the faster they’ll cook. This will prevent the crust from burning while you wait for the veggies to soften.
Use two zones on the grill. Light one side of the grill for indirect heat and let that be really warm, but do not light the side that the flat bread is grilling on. This will give you a safe zone where the flat bread can cook with the indirect heat and not burn from the flames directly beneath it.
Don’t overload it. While it’s tempting to pile lots of toppings onto the flatbread, less is more. An overloaded flatbread is harder to cook evenly and harder to eat. If the flatbread is loaded up too much, it will be really hard to move around on the grill.
Let it rest. After it comes off the grill, let it sit for a couple of minutes before you slice it. This will help the cheese set and make it easier to cut, to where the elements of the flatbread don’t fall off as soon as you slice it.
When to share…
- BACKYARD BARBECUE: this is an obvious choice. It’s literally made for grilling season and feeding a crowd. This goes for patio entertaining, too.
- SUMMER FAMILY GATHERING: This recipe is easy to scale, kid-friendly, and something that can be customized to different tastebuds.
- GAMEDAY PARTY: this is a perfect finger food that feels more elevated than your typical game day fare.
Now who’s ready to whip up some of this goodness for their guests?
Scroll on down to see how I made this flatbread…
Grilled BBQ Chicken Flatbread
EQUIPMENT
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Ingredients
Barbecue Chicken
- 1 lb. chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
- ½ cup barbecue sauce store-bought or homemade are both OK
Flatbread
- 2 flatbreads (7 oz. each)
- ¼ cup pizza sauce store-bought or homemade are both OK
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce store-bought or homemade are both OK
- 8 oz. mozzarella pearls
- Barbecue Chicken recipe above, sliced thin
- 1 zucchini ribboned or sliced very thin
- ¼ cup pickled red onion
- 1 bell pepper sliced thin
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
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Instructions
Marinate + Grill the Barbecue Chicken
- Place 1 lb. chicken breasts into a baking dish or a plastic bag.
- Measure in ½ cup barbecue sauce.
- Transfer the dish/bag into the refrigerator, and let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Near the end of the marinating time, preheat the grill to 450°F.
- When the grill is at the proper temperature, turn off the fire on one side. This is where the chicken will cook. (If you don’t do this and leave the flame on, there’s a very real chance your chicken will get burnt to a crisp because the barbecue sauce will catch fire.)
- Cook the chicken until it reads 165°F on the inside. (Ours took 10-15 minutes.)
- Remove from the grill, and chop into thin strips.
Make the Flatbreads
- Once the chicken has cooked, cover the grill, and let the heat continue to circulate while you make the flatbreads. Leave one section of burners off so you don’t risk burning the flatbread, too.
- Place 2 flatbreads onto a sheet pan to assemble.
- Combine the ¼ cup pizza sauce and ¼ cup barbecue sauce. Stir until combined, then set aside.
- Spread some of the pizza sauce-barbecue sauce mixture on top of the flatbread.
- Add the 8 oz. mozzarella pearls on top of the sauces.
- Divide and add the Barbecue Chicken, ribboned 1 zucchini, ¼ cup pickled red onion and 1 bell pepper to the flatbread.
- Transfer the flatbread to the preheated grill.
- Grill for 5-10 minutes on the side without the flame.
- When the cheese has completely melted, remove from the grill.
- Sprinkle with torn Fresh basil leaves.
- Slice the flatbread, and enjoy warm!
- Repeat three more times for more flatbread, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
Amazing!Looks so deliciously crispy!