When it comes to your kiddo’s all-time favorite foods, nothing beats pizza. But as a parent the last thing we want to do is feed our children pizza night after night, right? Here’s an alternative to the greasy take-out pizza thanks to our friends at For the Love of Cooking. Here, you’ll use roasted chicken and barbecue sauce (we suggest even sneaking in veggies) to this fun pizza braid. Your kids will enjoy braiding the dough and then devouring the final outcome once it emerges from the oven.

Ingredients:
Cornmeal
Pizza dough
Barbecue Sauce
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Roasted chicken, chopped
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Red onion, sliced thinly

Method:
1. Place the pizza dough onto a floured surface and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3. Place a silpat mat (or large baking tray) on the counter and coat with cooking spray and sprinkle the top with a bit of cornmeal. Roll (or spread) the dough out on top of the silpat mat into a rectangle. Drizzle a bit of sauce on top of the chicken and mix until evenly coated. Spoon some of the barbecue sauce down the center of the pizza dough, add slices of chopped mozzarella to the sauce followed by the chicken, cilantro, and red onion. Note: Don’t use too much sauce or your pizza braid will be a bit soggy.

4. Cut even slits on both sides of the filling with a pizza cutter. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling.

5. Once you have completed the braid carefully place the silpat mat onto a baking sheet.

6. Place into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy.

How did your family like this fun take on the traditional pizza? Tell us about it in the comment section below. 

This recipe comes to us courtesy of For the Love of Cooking, one of our favorite food blogs for moms and a Red Tricycle 2012 Totally Awesome Award Winner. Check out more from For the Love of Cooking, by clicking here.