Andrew Zimmern Says Rules Are Meant to Be Broken, And This Pizza Proves It

Casey's is heating things up in a big way with the debut of its Barn Burner Chicken Pizza, a bold new slice born directly from the company's annual Pizza Competition, and personally crowned the winner by culinary icon Andrew Zimmern. The pizza, created by Casey's district manager Terrell Banks, delivers a spicy, sweet, and savory punch thanks to its sriracha base, grilled chicken, bacon, real mozzarella and cheddar cheese, red onion, jalapeños, and a post-bake drizzle of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. It's the kind of flavor-forward risk that Zimmern says perfectly aligns with his lifelong approach to food discovery. "Great food can come from unexpected places," Andrew Zimmern explained, and Casey's, he says, is living proof.

Chef Andrew Zimmern didn't just sample the winning slice, but he praised the entire philosophy behind Casey's food program, noting that many people still underestimate the brand. "Folks don't expect a convenience store or a gas station to be a great pizza destination," he told The Blast. "But Casey's proves that great food can come from unexpected places."

He pointed out that Casey's is quietly one of the largest pizza players in the country, and that quality starts at the foundation. "A pizza's platform is its dough and its crust, that's where most pizza loses me," Zimmern said. "Casey's has a great crust. Several, in fact. And they make it in-house."

That commitment to quality ingredients stood out to him as well. "Casey's uses 100% real mozzarella cheese," he emphasized. "They are sticklers for quality, and it's why they have a great pizza."

Judging Casey's Pizza Competition was no small affair. Zimmern described it as massive, high-energy, and far bigger than he expected. "They kept telling me, 'You're going to be blown away,'" he recalled. "And it was huge. Thousands of people. Four teams making their award-winning pizzas."

But one entry rose above the rest. "Number one on my score sheet, and it must have been number one on the other judges' score sheets too, was the Barn Burner," Zimmern said.

He broke down exactly why it worked, tying it back to the science of flavor. "The science of eating is about contrasts," he explained. "Crunchy crust with soft toppings. Sweet versus savory. Smoky versus acidic, and this pizza has all of that," pointing to the BBQ sauce, chicken, sriracha, bacon, red onion, and jalapeños as the perfect balance.

Despite the name, Zimmern made it clear the Barn Burner isn't designed to scare people off. "I wouldn't call it spicy hot like it blows your mouth off," he said. "It's more warm and inviting than it is spiced hot on the tip of your tongue."

As someone who admits to always reaching for extra heat, Zimmern said the pizza still delivers. "This certainly scratches everyone's itch for sure," he told The Blast.

Beyond Casey's, Zimmern used the conversation to dig into the bigger picture of pizza culture and why he thinks the category is about to explode creatively.

"There's a tremendous amount of creativity going on in the world of pizza," he said, noting that economic pressures are pushing chefs toward pizza as a more accessible medium. "It's a less expensive meal… and it can be passed on to people at a fair price." That accessibility, he believes, is unleashing innovation. "Whenever that happens in any food category, there's a torrent of creativity unleashed," Zimmern said.

And when it comes to pizza rules? He's ready to toss them out entirely. "I'm an anarchist when it comes to food," he admitted. "I think everything is better when you break the rules, as long as it still tastes good." He even revealed that some of his favorite pizzas don't include cheese at all. "My favorite pizzas don't have cheese on them," he said, pointing to tomato pies and global flatbreads as inspiration.

As for Casey's, Zimmern said the brand already gets it. "A taco pizza was a rule breaker. A breakfast pizza was a rule breaker," he said. "It just proves my point. Rules are meant to be broken."

The Barn Burner Chicken Pizza is available for a limited time in select markets, including Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Dayton, Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, Peoria, and Springfield. Fans can order in-store or through the Casey's app.

To celebrate National Pizza Week (January 11–17), Casey's is offering 25% off whole pies with code PIZZAWEEK, including the Barn Burner.