By America’s Test Kitchen

This calzone is like a warm, day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich you don’t have to wait all year for. Instead of picking through leftovers, mix shredded chicken with dried cranberries (which plump up as they cook) and two kinds of cheese: herb- and garlic-packed Boursin and tangy, gooey sharp cheddar. Tuck the filling into rounds of store-bought pizza dough (letting it come to room temperature makes it much easier to roll out) and slide them into the oven for a much better than straight-from-the-fridge leftover sandwich. You’ll need a light dusting of flour to roll out the dough. You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken here or poach your own chicken breasts.  

Thanksgiving-ish Calzones

Serves: 4 Total Time: 45 Minutes

1 round pizza dough, room temperature, split into 4 pieces

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)

1 (5.2-ounce) package Boursin Garlic & Fine Herb cheese, crumbled
(1 cup)

1/3 cup dried cranberries

Staple ingredients: extra-virgin olive oil, salt, pepper 

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush foil with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place one dough piece on clean counter and, using your cupped hand, drag in small circles until dough feels taut and round. Repeat with remaining dough pieces and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Combine chicken, cheddar, Boursin, cranberries, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt in bowl; set aside.

2. Working on lightly floured counter, press and roll 1 piece of reserved dough (keep remaining pieces covered) into 8-inch round of even thickness. Repeat with remaining dough pieces. Working with 1 dough round at a time (keep remaining pieces covered), spread one quarter of chicken mixture evenly over half of dough round, leaving 1-inch border at edge. Fold top half of dough over filling and crimp edges to seal. Gently transfer to prepared sheet and repeat with remaining dough rounds and filling.

3. Using sharp knife, cut two 1-inch steam vents on top of each calzone, then brush tops evenly with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.

4. Transfer sheet to wire rack and let calzones cool for 5 minutes. Serve.

Reprinted, with permission, from Five Ingredient Dinners (America’s Test Kitchen, 2021), americastestkitchen.com.