As the weather warms up, party invitations are filling my inbox left, right, and center. I'm loving it - good weather is always a good excuse for a party.
We talk a lot here at Plum Deluxe about party themes, and one of my personal favorites is pizza night!
Last week, we decided to give pizza night a twist with one of our house favorites - calzones! While calzones look hard to make, they're really not. Below I've whipped up an easy-to-follow recipe that makes huge calzones that you can slice up and share for a party, or enjoy with a glass of wine and friends/family around the dinner table.
In this recipe, we're celebrating the KC Masterpiece Kansas City Classic's 35th Anniversary with their sweet-n-spicy blend. Even if you don't use this particular sauce, I strongly encourage you to choose a BBQ sauce that does not have high fructose corn syrup (KC's 35th Anniversary blend does not).
BBQ Chicken Pizza Calzone Recipe
This simple calzone is rich with flavor and something everyone of your party guests will enjoy.
Get started on this recipe at least 2 hours before you want to sit down to eat. Recipe makes enough dough for four calzones, or two 10-12 inch pizzas.
Pizza Dough ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast (check the expiration date on the package)
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose but bread flour will give you a crisper crust)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon thyme
Proof your yeast for at least 2 minutes (combine water and yeast, stirring just enough to get wet), add flour, salt, sugar, pepper, sage, and thyme. Mix until dough forms a ball. In a glass bowl, add the olive oil coating the dough, then cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm, dry place for at least two hours. Dough should double.
Pizza filling ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons KC Masterpiece® Kansas City Classic, 35th Anniversary Blend
- 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2/3 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- fresh cilantro, for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).In a medium fry-pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme and chicken. Cook completely, add 1/3 cup BBQ sauce. Let cool.
Roll out pizza dough in a square (instead of round) on a floured surface and in one corner, brush with barbecue sauce, and add all ingredients: chicken, mozzarella, gouda, onion, cilantro. Fold remaining half over the top, and pinch dough closed, forming a pocket.
Brush the top of your pizza with a little olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until top is golden.
One of the best parts of this calzone is the savory crust. It is divine!
But I can't deny the BBQ pizza inside is pretty tasty as well. Bon appetit!
This feature and recipe was brought to you by KC Masterpiece® BBQ Sauce.KC Masterpiece® barbecue sauce has been delivering authentic barbecue taste and creating culinary masterpieces for 35 years. For more recipe ideas, tips and tricks visit www.KCMasterpiece.com.
This is a sponsored conversation written by the author on behalf of KC Masterpiece®. The opinions and text are all the author's.
