Buffalo Chicken Calzone

My mother-in-law came for a visit this week, and since I tend to show love and appreciation through food, I wanted to make her a meal specifically tailored to her. She’s a huge fan of Buffalo Chicken, specifically Buffalo Chicken Pizza. However, she’s not as big on celery as we are, so our normal sauce that we use for that pizza wouldn’t have been the right one to use, so I had to ponder an alternative to make sure she’d fully enjoy (pronounced “en-choy” for the purposes of this particular post).

During a game of Kings in the Corners over lunch, while the dough was rising, and I was pondering, I mentioned the thought of Calzones, which was met with resounding thumbs up from both her and my sous-chef. With that decision made, I got to work on these babies! In the end, they came out of the oven with a glorious crispiness and a perfect blend of spiciness, creaminess, and saltiness from the Buffalo sauce and cheese combination. We will definitely be making these again during Football Season!

We served our Calzones with sautéed zucchini, but a side salad or even celery and carrot sticks would also be a perfect pairing.

Time: 5-6 Hours (4-5 of which is slow cooker time for your chicken)

Ingredients:

• Classic Pizza Crust Dough…you can also use store bought dough.
• Chicken Breast
• Buffalo Sauce
• Crumbled Blue Cheese
• Shredded Mozzarella
• Onion

Method:

• Slice some onion into rounds.
• Place your chicken breast(s) in your slow cooker, and top them with your onion. (As the onion heats and sweats, it will help keep your chicken moist and tender).
• Set the slow cooker to low, and cook for 4-5 hours.
• As your chicken cooks, turn your attention to your dough:
  • If making your own, start when your chicken has about an hour left to go in the slow cooker. Prep your dough, and allow to rise for an hour.
  • If using store bought, set on the counter to get to room temperature.
• When your chicken is ready, scrape the onion off, and transfer the chicken breast(s) to a large bowl. Then, shred with two forks.
• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
• Pour your Buffalo sauce over your shredded chicken, and stir to completely incorporate.
• Place a sheet of parchment paper on your counter, and give it a quick flour sprinkle to prevent sticking.
• Cut your dough into the number of calzones you wish to make, and working one or two at a time, use a rolling pin to flatten your dough into circles.
• Arrange your shredded Buffalo chicken on one half of your dough, and then top that with blue cheese and mozzarella.
• Fold the top over, and crimp the edges together. Then, roll the edges inward towards the pocket.
• Once all of your calzones are made, transfer your calzone(s) and your parchment paper to your baking sheet(s).
• Sprinkle and spread a little flour atop your calzones, and then cut two vent slits in the top of each calzone, and then stash in the oven.
• Bake for about 25 minutes until your crust gets nice and crispy.
• Plate, devour, and enjoy!