Chicken Calzones with Bacon and Avocado
All you need is one hand to hold and eat one of these delicious Chicken Calzones.
Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time2 hours hrs
Course: dinner, lunch, Sandwich
Cuisine: Chicken
Servings: 8 sandwiches
Calories: 618kcal
For the dough:
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water, 105-110 degrees
- 1 teasooon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2½ - 3 cups all-purpose flour
For the filling:
- ¾ pound bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
- ½ rotisserie chicken, bones and skin removed and cut into bite sized pieces
To make the avocado mayonnaise:
- 2 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- avocado mayonnaise, shown below
To make the dough:
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the sugar and allow to sit and get foamy (about 5 minutes).
Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture.
In a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the flour and salt.
Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and mix with the dough hook until all the flour has been incorporated and the dough comes together to form a ball. *Note - If the dough seems too wet and sticky, add in a bit more flour until the dough is only slightly sticky and yet smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place until double in size (approximately 1 hour).
To make the avocado mayonnaise:
To form and bake calzones:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Divide the pizza dough into 8 equal pieces. Work each piece of dough into approximately 6" circles. *Note-I used my fingertips and hands to do this. I didn't use a rolling pin but you might want to if that works better for you.
Spread about 1 to 1 ¼ tablespoons of the avocado mayonnaise on the bottom half of the pizza dough circle, making sure to keep it from the edge. *Note-You'll have leftover avocado mayonnaise so make sure you use it for dipping sauce when you serve the calzones.
Top the avocado mayo with a bit of the shredded chicken (approximately 1 tablespoon) and top the chicken with some of the cooked bacon.
Wet the bottom edge of the pizza dough with a slight bit of water and then carefully stretch the top half of the dough circle over the filling and press it firmly to the bottom half of the dough circle. You now have a half moon shape.
Press the tines of a fork firmly around the edge of the filled calzone and use a paring knife to cut a small vent hole on the top of each calzone. Continue the same process with the remaining dough.
Place each calzone on a parchment lined baking sheet (4 per sheet).
Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the calzones are a lovely golden brown
Cool slightly and serve warm with the remaining avocado mayonnaise if desired.
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 583mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 4mg