There are some recipes that you know by heart, or can whip up off the cuff.  You know the main ingredients, and usually roll with whatever’s easily accessible, modify it a bit and you’re still  confident that it will delicious.  This buffalo chicken calzone is one of those recipes.

I‘ve been making it for years, and I have the bones of the recipe memorized.  There are no measurements and lots of eyeballing. Like many "no recipe" recipes, this recipe is open to interpretation.  Depending on time constraints, sometimes I will bread and pan fry the chicken first.  If I’m in a hurry, the chicken doesn’t get marinated.  Sometimes I roll the dough, other times I fold it in half.  If I need to use up mozzarella cheese, I won’t bother opening a new bag of cheddar. And, if making the calzones for myself, I omit the blue cheese altogether.  No matter what the combination of ingredients or the method I use, it results in a full and happy stomach.

I posted a vague set of guidelines for these back in 2010.  I’ve made about a dozen of these in recent months, so I tried to nail down an actual recipe.  However you make them, they are the perfect appetizer, snack, or dinner. 

Buffalo Chicken Calzone

Servings vary

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt & pepper, to season
• 1/2 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4 C buffalo sauce, divided
• 1 lb. pizza dough
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2-1 C marinara sauce
• 1 C mozzarella cheese
• 1 C cheddar cheese
• 1 C crumbled blue cheese
• 1 egg white
• bleu cheese dressing, ranch dressing, and/or marinara sauce for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. In a pan over medium heat, melt butter and sauté garlic. 
4. Season your chicken with salt and pepper, and add to pan.  Add about 1/4 C buffalo sauce (or more).  Stir well and cook until done.  Set aside. 
5. Roll dough into a circle.  Place on prepared baking sheet. 
6. Spread half of dough with olive oil.  Top with marinara sauce, using as much or as little as desired.
7. Cover with half of the mozzarella cheese , half of the cheddar cheese, and half of the bleu cheese.  Drizzle with half of the remaining buffalo sauce. 
8. Add buffalo chicken, spreading in an even layer. 
9. Cover with all remaining cheese and buffalo sauce. 
10. Fold other side of dough over toppings until it reaches the edge and pinch the edges to seal.
11. Brush the top of the calzone with egg white.
12. Using a sharp knife, make slits in the top to allow steam to escape during cooking.
13. Bake for about  20 minutes, or until the top has puffed up and is golden brown.
14. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve with dressing or marinara for dipping.