Wolfgang Puck Barbecue Chicken Pizza

February 13, 2008 | Reviewer: Abi

Wolfgang Puck Barbecue Chicken Pizza Price: $6.00 (on sale)
Serving: 1/3 pizza, 4.78 oz.
Calories: 360
Fat: 20%, 13g
Cholesterol: 12%, 35mg
Sodium: 28%, 660mg
Protein: 17g
Carbs: 15%, 45g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
Sugar: 13g
Weight Watchers Points: 8 points

Wolfgang Puck says: Mozzarella, seasoned chicken, roasted red onions

Abi says: Recently enamored of the six-word memoir, I challenged myself to write a six word review of this pizza. While that may be enough for a life, it was too brief a description for pizza. Sure, I tried:

Fluffy crust, Watery Center, Plentiful Chicken
or
Lots of cheese. Where’s the flavor?
or
Essence of Barbecue Sauce. From Austria.
or
The cats shied away from it.

But in the end, I decided to write a real review. I had one of those nights where I didn’t want to have a side salad or steamed vegetables or even carrots drowned in ranch. No, I wanted to eat an entire pizza by myself.

I did not accomplish this task. Instead, I ate 3/4 of this pizza, accepting defeat when I finally got to the pool of watery cheese and too-soft crust at the center. Now, this watery center problem may just be an issue with the ovens of friends in Southeast DC. Here in my Northern California oven (and previously in my Northwest DC oven) I never had this watery-center issue.

Examining this pizza from the top down, the chunks of chicken were plentiful and peppery, with just one featuring the gristle that we’ve all come to know and love from animals made into foodstuffs. The cheese is one-note mozzarella. There’s plenty of it, but it is also boring. I’d really like to see a more interesting set of flavor profiles from a pizza that claims to be designed by Wolfgang Puck. Just a little nutty gruyere or a tangy cheddar could make a world of difference. I’m sure that Wolfgang could figure out something fun. The red onion was largely absent, a lack I overlooked because I was so pleased about the amount of chicken on this pizza. A well-balanced meal this is not.

The barbecue sauce here was fantastically light, hinting at the essence of barbecue sauce rather than gumming up the works with loads of sugary goo. I thought I’d be disappointed with the absence of thick sauce, but this version definitely has me rethinking my ideas on barbecue pizzas. The crust is right up there with the magnificently crisp and light (but not crackery or dry) crusts from Amy’s Kitchen.

The wet center and lack of onions aside (issue 1 was my fault, issue 2 was Mr. Puck’s), this is a solid contender for frozen BBQ chicken pizza. The chicken is miles ahead of similar store-brand offerings, but I still need to try the California Pizza Kitchen version. At $6.00 on sale, this pizza is selling for a whole lot more than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $5.99. But considering that this pizza with a side salad could easily satisfy two adults, I’d rate this a good buy so long as it was on sale.

comments

6 Responses to “Wolfgang Puck Barbecue Chicken Pizza”

Rocketgirl on February 13th, 2008

Awe. Bummer. I was hoping you’d someday review California Pizza Kitchen’s BBQ chicken pizza (my favorite frozen pie evar!) .

I think it far exceeds. : /
Rocketgirl on February 13th, 2008

I’m not handicapped - I just didn’t finish the review since I have found other Wolfgang pizzas to be serious let-downs.
Rocketgirl on February 13th, 2008

; )
Jon Eick on February 14th, 2008

BBQ pizza that is done right is one of the best kinds of pizza out there. This looked pretty good from the picture, and it looks like your review confirms that!
Jessica on February 14th, 2008

Gotta say, I LOVE California Pizza Kitchen’s version. I am not a meat fan, but cannot pass up that one. Esp when it’s on sale. Mmm….BBQ pizza on sale…mmm.
Megan on February 14th, 2008

The California Kitchen pizza’s are awesome…esp. the bbq chicken pizza!