For a while now I’ve been going every week to a potluck/Battlestar Galactica watching night. Most weeks, at least one person asks what they should bring, I suggest a chicken parm calzone, and the suggestion is ignored or assumed to be a joke or something. Eventually, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for cooking the chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 chicken breast tenderloins (the thin sliced ones)
• 1 cup pasta sauce (I like a cheesy one)
• 2 eggs
• Italian flavored bread crumbs
• 4-5 slices provolone cheese, from the deli counter
• 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• shredded parmesan, for sprinkling

To prepare the dough, first dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the tablespoon of oil and salt, and then gradually stir in the flour. Knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, roll to lightly grease on all sides, then cover, and let rise 40 minutes or until almost doubled.

While the dough rises, you can prepare the chicken. Lightly beat the eggs together in a small bowl, and pour some of the bread crumbs into a plate. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan on the stove. Dip the pieces of chicken into the eggs, then cover thoroughly with the bread crumbs, then lay each in the pan, only covering as many at a time as fit in the pan. Cook until the bread crumbs are golden, then flip. Cook until the other side is done as well, then remove to a plate and cook the rest of the chicken.

When the dough has finished rising, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, and roll each out into a circle.

I continue to be terrible at circles. Um, and if anyone has thoughts on what I should do with those leeks, I’m listening!

Spread about 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce on each of the dough circles, leaving a 1/2″ clear around the edges. Place three pieces of cooked chicken on each of the pieces of dough, on one side, then spread the remaining sauce on the chicken.

Cover the chicken with the provolone, then the mozzarella.

Fold the dough over, and press the edges firmly to seal. Transfer carefully to the baking sheet.

Brush some of the remaining egg over the top of each, and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Cut small air vents in the top of each calzone.

Bake 30 minutes until browned.

Some cheese leak-age on one of ’em.

There was a ton of food at last week’s BSG night, but most of the calzones managed to disappear, so I think they were a success! It’s only now that I’m looking at the name of the recipe, and the amount of parmesan cheese used, and going “hmmm….”

This wasn’t even everything!

Chicken Parmesan Calzone

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil + more for cooking the chicken
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 chicken breast tenderlions
• 1 cup pasta sauce (I like a cheesy one)
• 2 eggs
• Italian flavored bread crumbs
• 4-5 slices provolone cheese
• 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• shredded parmesan, for sprinkling

To prepare the dough, first dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the tablespoon of oil and salt, and then gradually stir in the flour. Knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl, roll to lightly grease on all sides, then cover, and let rise 40 minutes or until almost doubled.

While the dough rises, you can prepare the chicken. Lightly beat the eggs together in a small bowl, and pour some of the bread crumbs into a plate. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan on the stove. Dip the pieces of chicken into the eggs, then cover thoroughly with the bread crumbs, then lay each in the pan, only covering as many at a time as fit in the pan. Cook until the bread crumbs are golden, then flip. Cook until the other side is done as well, then remove to a plate and cook the rest of the chicken.

When the dough has finished rising, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, and roll each out into a circle. Spread about 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce on each of the dough circles, leaving a 1/2″ clear around the edges. Place three pieces of cooked chicken on each of the pieces of dough, on one side, then spread the remaining sauce on the chicken. Cover the chicken with the provolone, then the mozzarella.

Fold the dough over, and press the edges firmly to seal. Transfer carefully to the baking sheet. Brush some of the remaining egg over the top of each, and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Cut small air vents in the top of each calzone. Bake 30 minutes until browned.