Seasoned Chicken Calzones

Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 package fast-rising active dry yeast (or 1 tbsp)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons pureed chipotle chiles in adobo (see directions)
• 2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (approximate measure)

Recipe

• 1 to make dough, combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl; gradually stir in the water and oil.
• 2 mix until dough is soft and pliable--you may find you have to switch to your hands, rather than keep using a spoon.
• 3 turn out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
• 4 lightly butter a glass or ceramic bowl and place dough into bowl, turning it so entire surface of dough is buttered.
• 5 cover loosely with a tea towel and put bowl aside in a warm place for about one hour, until dough has risen and doubled in size.
• 6 meanwhile, you can make the filling.
• 7 to make the chipotle puree, open a can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce and place in your blender or food processor; puree until smooth, then measure out the 2 tsp you need (you can freeze the leftovers for another use).
• 8 in a small bowl, toss the chicken slices with the seasonings (salt through to turmeric).
• 9 in a skillet over medium heat, heat the 3 tbsp of olive oil and saute the seasoned chicken slices for about 5 minutes, until chicken is no longer pinkish inside.
• 10 if there are any spices in the bottom of the bowl, make sure you add them to the skillet too--you want all the flavour!
• 11 remove chicken from skillet and place in a bowl, then saute peppers and garlic until peppers are tender; this will take about 5 minutes or so.
• 12 add to chicken in bowl, then let rest for a few minutes to cool down.
• 13 stir in chipotle puree, cheese and coriander.
• 14 when your dough is ready, punch it down and divide into 12 portions; roll out each into a 6-inch circle.
• 15 divide filling among the 12 circles, spooning into the centre of each.
• 16 please note that i have only made this recipe once, and i found that i had a little too much filling (perhaps i bought too much chicken, i don't remember now); so don't feel that you absolutely have to use the entire chicken mixture (a little extra to snack on is a good thing).
• 17 wet the edges of the dough circles with some water (or some beaten egg, if you wish) and fold the circles in half, into half-circles; pinch the edges to seal tight.
• 18 brush both sides of calzones with a little olive oil, then grill over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side, until the dough is cooked and has a golden-brown appearance.
• 19 while this recipe calls for using the grill, i see no reason why you couldn't bake them.