Barbecue Chicken Calzones

So I had some leftover chicken the other day and decided to experiment.  I had a single cooked chicken breast sitting around in the fridge and tried to come up with something to do.  Sure I could have just made a sandwich, but that's so... well, boring sometimes.  So I thought, what about a chicken calzone?

It's been a long time since I've made a calzone, but I was feeling really lazy and didn't want to make a crust.  I did have some thaw and serve rolls in the freezer... so why not use those?  So I pulled four out of the bag, popped them in a pan and let them rise while I did some work around the house.  Once they thawed out, I kneaded them together, flattened them out into a circle, threw in all of the ingredients and baked it up.  And WOW did it turn out great!  The barbecue sauce bonded to the shredded chicken, but intermingled with the cheddar cheese.  The onion's sweetness slightly countered the tang of the barbecue sauce.  And the crust was crispy and chewy all at once.

The frozen roll dough can work great as pizza crust in a pinch.  I've done it before with the mini-pizza night and for that application, they're the perfect size.  If you have the time to make your own crust, great.  But I'm a big believer in taking shortcuts when you don't have the time or the desire to spend extra time in the kitchen on the weekend.  If you have the time to saute the onions, great.  If not, you can add them directly, they'll just be a little more crunchy.  And if you want some heat, sprinkle a little jalapeno inside as well.

Barbecue Chicken Calzones

Makes 4

3 large chicken breasts of thighs, fully cooked and either shredded, diced or sliced thin, your choice
3/4 cup favorite barbecue sauce
Enough dough to make one 14 in pizza crust or 16 frozen dinner rolls, thawed and raised.
1 pound grated cheddar cheese
1 purple onion, julienned into half moons
Another 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 teaspoons cilantro


Toss the chicken in a bowl with the first portion of barbecue sauce and set aside.  Lightly saute the onions so they become translucent, then set aside.

Divide the pizza dough into quarters.  Then pound, stretch and spin each quarter into a small round.  Place the barbecue sauce-covered chicken on one half of each round.  Spread some of the onions over the chicken, then top each with a generous amount of cheese.  Drizzle the second portion of the barbecue sauce over the cheese.  Fold the other half of the pizza circle over the toppings and pinch the edges closed.  Using a sharp knife, slice three small holes in the top so the heat and moisture will vent out, preventing a blowout.  Brush the tops of each with olive oil and sprinkle on the cilantro for decoration.

Place them in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until they turn golden brown.  Let set for 5 minutes after removing them from the oven.

So be lazy like me and make yourself some calzones the easy way!