Whole Wheat Calzone Recipe with Chicken, Red Chard & Gorgonzola Cheese

Forgive me for veering off on a tangent in the first sentence of the post, but I just can't help myself. To say that I am proud of Canada, and my countrymen and women, would be an understatement. With the sound win by the Canadian women's hockey team, Canada broke its previous winter Olympics gold medal count record. But it's not just about the medals. Rather, it is the spirit with which the Canadian athletes and hometown fans celebrate the honor. As the Canadian maple leaf was hoisted high above the hockey rink, every Canuck in the arena sang the national anthem as though their lives depended on it - with exuberance, with jubilance, and with heartfelt pride. And me? Well, I simply could not stop smiling through my joyful tears (yes, I cry at those Proctor & Gamble ads, too).

What do calzones have to do with the winter Olympics? Absolutely nothing, except that we were eating them as the Canadian women skated to victory. With a whole wheat crust, sauteed chicken, slightly charred chard (yes, I am proud of myself for that one), and savory Gorgonzola, this calzone makes for a healthy and substantial meal.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a pizza baking stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat for 30 minutes. On a rack underneath or above the pizza stone (arranged so that it does not interfere with the pizza stone and calzone), place an empty metal broiler rack.

Cut 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast into ½-inch pieces. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and cook until the chicken is barely cooked. The chicken will cook further when baked in the calzone, so you don't want to overcook it at this stage. Set the chicken aside.

Using a 1-pound bunch of red chard, thinly slice the leaves crosswise and discard the stems.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in the same large skillet over medium heat. Add the chard, season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook until the chard is just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

For the dough, I used 1 pound of Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg's master recipe from their new book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. . If using this recipe, make the dough, refrigerate it, and then cut off 1 pound (about the size of a large grapefruit) of the dough. It is not necessary to let the dough rise for 90 minutes on the pizza peel when making calzones, flatbreads, and pizzas. This calzone would also work well using my pizza crust recipe. It requires some kneading, but uses ingredients that are found in most pantries.

On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a ⅛-inch thick circle. Place the chicken, chard, and 2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese on half of the dough.

Brush the edges with water, fold the unfilled portion of dough over the filling, and press to seal the edges.

Using your hands, carefully transfer the calzone to a pizza peel covered in cornmeal. Brush the surface of the calzone with water. Cut three slits in the dough, making sure the cuts go all the way through the top layer of dough.

With a quick jerk, slide the calzone onto the baking stone. Quickly pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler rack and close the oven door immediately.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve.

Whole Wheat Calzone with Chicken, Red Chard & Gorgonzola Cheese

3 teaspoon olive oil, divided
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ½-inch pieces
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 lb red chard, leaves thinly sliced crosswise & stems discarded
1 lb of Zoe Francois' master whole-grain loaf recipe or Cookin' Canuck's pizza dough recipe
Flour for rolling
2 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
Water
Cornmeal for pizza peel

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and cook until the chicken is barely cooked. The chicken will cook further when baked in the calzone, so you don't want to overcook it at this stage. Set the chicken aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in the same large skillet over medium heat. Add the chard, season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook until the chard is just wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

For the dough, I used 1 pound of Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg's master recipe from their new book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. If using this recipe, make the dough, refrigerate it, and then cut off 1 pound (about the size of a large grapefruit) of the dough. It is not necessary to let the dough rise for 90 minutes on the pizza peel when making calzones, flatbreads, and pizzas. This calzone would also work well using my pizza crust recipe. It requires some kneading, but uses ingredients that are found in most pantries.

On a well-floured surface, roll the dough into a ⅛-inch thick circle. Place the chicken, chard, and Gorgonzola cheese on half of the dough. Brush the edges with water, fold the unfilled portion of dough over the filling, and press to seal the edges.

With a quick jerk, slide the calzone onto the baking stone. Quickly pour 1 cup of hot water into the broiler rack and close the oven door immediately.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Printable recipe