Bajan‑Style Pizza With Chicken, Tomatoes & Fresh Basil

A Caribbean twist on an Italian classic

The fragrance of yeast dough and melted cheese wafting through a kitchen is timeless, but here in Barbados we like to make a pizza that tastes like home. Imagine thin slices of juicy chicken seasoned the way our grandparents always did — with onions, scallions, garlic, hot Scotch bonnet peppers, thyme, marjoram, Worcestershire sauce and a splash of vinegar — then tucked beneath ripe tomato slices and finished with a handful of fragrant basil leaves. Italians perfected the combination of bread, tomatoes and cheese generations ago, but Barbadians have never been shy about making a dish their own.

Pizza dough is all about balance. Traditional Neapolitan dough uses about 55–60 % hydration, which means 500 g of flour to roughly 300 ml of water. On the island we sometimes slip a bit of Banks beer into the dough along with dried Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese, a trick one Barbados blogger used when baking pizza at home. Beer adds subtle malt sweetness and helps create a crisp crust. If you aren’t up for making dough from scratch, store‑bought dough or flatbreads work too — the fun part is in the toppings.

Seasoning the chicken the Bajan way

Barbadians rarely grill or bake meat without first seasoning it deeply. A house blend of onions, green onions, garlic, habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers, parsley, thyme, marjoram, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce is blended into a paste. We rub this mixture into cuts of chicken (breast or thigh), let them marinate for an hour or overnight and then roast the meat until tender. This tradition, sometimes called “juking”, infuses the chicken with bold heat and herbaceous notes. Shredding the cooked chicken makes it easy to scatter over a pizza.

A true Bajan table isn’t complete without pepper sauce. A simple homemade version calls for Scotch bonnet peppers, white vinegar, garlic, turmeric, cilantro, mustard and salt. Everything is roughly chopped and blended into a smooth, fiery sauce. Some Barbadians cook the sauce lightly, while others prefer it raw to keep the peppers’ brightness. A drizzle of pepper sauce over hot pizza delivers a blast of heat and the sweet‑fruity flavour that Scotch bonnets are known for.

Step‑by‑step Bajan pizza

1. Prepare the dough. If making your own crust, combine 500 g flour with 300 ml liquid (half water, half beer for a Bajan touch), a pinch of instant yeast and 10 g sea salt. Mix until shaggy, knead briefly and let it rest for 20 minutes. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, knead until smooth and let it rise in a covered bowl for 4–6 hours. Alternatively, use store‑bought dough or flatbread.
2. Make the sauce. Pulse fresh ripe tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of olive oil. There’s no need to cook it; the oven will caramelise the sugars. Slice an extra tomato thinly for topping.
3. Marinate and cook the chicken. Blend your Bajan seasoning or use a pre‑made green seasoning. Rub two tablespoons into 250 g of sliced chicken pieces and leave to marinate. Roast at 180 °C (350 °F) until cooked through, then shred.
4. Assemble. Preheat your oven to its hottest setting (250 °C / 475 °F or higher). Roll or stretch your dough into a round about 25 cm across. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce, then lay down the shredded chicken, scatter the sliced tomatoes and add mozzarella or a blend of cheeses. A sprinkle of grated Parmesan or sharp cheddar gives the pizza a Bajan personality.
5. Bake. Slide the pizza onto a preheated stone, steel or baking sheet and bake until the crust is crisp and the cheese is bubbling and golden (about 10 minutes). If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can cook the crust in a hot pan on the stove for a minute or two before transferring it under a broiler for a quick char.
6. Finish with basil and pepper sauce. As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, tear handfuls of fresh basil leaves over the top. Gardeners swear that growing basil alongside tomatoes improves the tomatoes’ flavour and health, and that freshness shines through when the herb doesn’t cook. Drizzle a little homemade Bajan pepper sauce (or your favourite hot sauce) for a spicy kick.

Make it your own — and share it!

This pizza celebrates the best of two worlds: the chewy, blistered crust of a Neapolitan pie and the vibrant spices of Barbados. The Bajan seasoning and pepper sauce heat up the chicken, while ripe tomatoes and basil cool things down with sweetness and perfume. You’ll taste malt from the beer in the crust, cheese melting into the sauce and the bright green of basil — it’s like sunshine on a plate.

What would you change if you made this? Would you try adding pineapple or using Banks beer in the dough? We’d love to see your creations — snap a photo and share the recipe with a friend or tag us. And if you need a handful of basil to tear over your pizza, our farm grows it right here in Barbados; add a bunch to your next order and you’ll see why fresh herbs make all the difference.

Thinking about cooking more at home? Our FreshFix veggie boxes deliver tomatoes, herbs and seasonal vegetables straight to your doorstep every two weeks. You don’t even have to leave the house to get farm‑fresh ingredients — just subscribe and let the flavours of the Caribbean come to you.