Buffalo Chicken Calzones

I bake. I`m not much of a cook. Truthfully, I don`t need to cook for myself, which is why I hardly cook. I bake, but I bake because I love doing it as a hobby, not because I absolutely NEED baked goodies.

My taste buds aren`t picky nor are they good at distinguishing slight hints in flavors. It has definitely gotten better at picking up certain flavors in foods because I bake more often now, but still, it`s not much.

Spices and seasonings like thyme, rosemary, dill, etc? They just confused me. Unless, of course, it`s a common ingredient in baking, like ground cinnamon.

This is why I don`t have many recipes on here that are entree-related. But, today is special because I am sharing a simple and easy dish for lunch and dinner!

I am trying to cook more. So hopefully, you all will see some more entrees in the future~ These buffalo calzones makes me imagine all the great foods out there. I just need to make them!

These calzones are definitely a dish I loveeee. It`s just SO GOOD!! I wrote that you can use buffalo sauce, hot sauce or taco sauce. Any of the three will work, but I find they tastes best if you use buffalo sauce.

This is definitely one of those easy dinners to whip up. You can simply buy pre-made pizza dough and one of those fully cooked chickens at grocery stores and you`re all set! You can even make the stuffing ahead of time and just refrigerate it until you`re all set to bake. :)

And they tastes GREAT. My boyfriend really love this dish too. We always talk about when we can make them again!

Buffalo Chicken Calzones

Adapted from: Once A Month Mom

Yields: 8 calzones

Level: Easy

Total Time: ~35-45 minutes

Materials Needed:

-          rolling pin

-          pastry brush

-          knife

-          cutting board

-          fork

-          baking sheet(s)

-          parchment paper/baking mat

-          1 medium bowl

-          1 spoon/spatula

Ingredients:

§  premade pizza dough (2 bags from Trader Joe`s)

§  1 roasted chicken, cooked and shredded (I bought those ready-made roasted chickens at grocery stores)

§  1/2 cup ranch dressing

§  3 tablespoons taco sauce/buffalo sauce/hot sauce

§  1 cup celery, diced

§  Salt, to taste

§  Pepper, to taste

§  1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided into 1 cup + 1/4 cup

§  Olive oil (About 2 tablespoons)

§  2 teaspoons garlic powder

Directions:

1.      Line your baking sheet with either parchment paper or a baking mat.

2.      Preheat oven to 450F.

3.      Roll out pizza dough approximately 12x8inches. (Working with 1 pizza dough at a time)

4.      Cut dough into 4 pieces (you will have 8 quartered pieces in total)

5.      In a medium bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, ranch, sauce, celery, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

6.      Divide filling between the 8 squares of pizza dough, placing filling only on one side of each piece.

7.      Fold over the other half of the dough and pinch to seal the edges to get the semi-circle shape calzones are known to have.

8.      Use a fork to press and seal the edges if desired.

9.      Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of each calzone with olive oil.

10.  Sprinkle the tops with garlic powder.

11.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese on top as well.

12.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

13.  Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.