I sadly must admit that up until about 2 years ago I had never heard of monkey bread. Yes, a travesty as we all know it. But I am happy to say that I have made up for much of my lost time and recipes.
I have made almost every dessert monkey bread recipe out there. From plain old cinnamon and sugar to Reese Pieces to microwavable monkey bread all of them have been without a doubt the best finger food desserts I have ever had! Nothing beats sweetness added to warm, soft dough.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-023-1.jpg)
After all the desert making, I decided to broaden my horizon even further and try a little dinner time/appetizer style recipe. The more I looked into it, the more recipes I found that weren't just for dessert!
BBQ chicken monkey bread was by far one of the best and easiest to make apps I have ever had! I made it for a BBQ I had last weekend and people went nuts for it! Pull apart bread with shredded chicken, cheese, bold BBQ sauce and fresh parsley. Perfect flavors with warm dough balls makes for a perfect pull apart appetizer and great for sharing.
Want more monkey bread recipes? Check out:
Cheddar Bacon Garlic Monkey Bread
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Monkey Bread
To make, Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the pizza dough tubes in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, and roll into balls.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-002.jpg)
Place the pizza dough balls in a large bowl, then add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss gently with your hands to coat.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-007.jpg)
Add the mozzarella and onion and toss gently with your hands until evenly distributed.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-011.jpg)
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and ¼ cup of barbecue sauce. Add to the bowl with the dough balls and toss gently with your hands to mix.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-016.jpg)
Fill the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with dough balls, make sure not to pack them too tightly.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-017.jpg)
Spray the outside of a small oven-safe bowl with nonstick spray and place on top of the dough balls in the middle of the pan. Fill the area around the bowl with the remaining dough balls.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-019.jpg)
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the dough balls begin to turn light brown.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-020-1.jpg)
Remove from the oven. Use tongs to remove the small bowl and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the tops of the dough balls are golden brown and bubbling.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-021.jpg)
Fill the bowl indent with the remaining cup of barbecue sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.
![](https://www.shared.com/content/images/2018/06/06-21-18-BBQ-Chicken-Monkey-Bread-image-025-1.jpg)
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 cans of Pillsbury Pizza Dough
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup red onion, chopped
- 2 cups chicken, shredded and cooked
- 1 ¼ cups BBQ sauce, divided
- nonstick cooking spray
- fresh parsley for serving
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Cut the pizza dough tubes in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, and roll into balls.
- Place the pizza dough balls in a large bowl, then add the olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss gently with your hands to coat.
- Add the mozzarella and onion and toss gently with your hands until evenly distributed.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and ¼ cup (65 g) of barbecue sauce. Add to the bowl with the dough balls and toss gently with your hands to incorporate.
- Fill the bottom of a 9-inch (22 cm) cake pan with dough balls, make sure not to pack them too tightly. Spray the outside of a small oven-safe bowl with nonstick spray and place on top of the dough balls in the middle of the pan. Fill the area around the bowl with the remaining dough balls.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the dough balls begin to turn light brown.
- Remove from the oven. Use tongs to remove the small bowl and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the tops of the dough balls are golden brown and bubbling.
- Fill the bowl indent with the remaining cup of barbecue sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.
- Enjoy!