Chicken calzone recipe: Your new weeknight dinner hero
When you're wondering what to prepare for dinner, the easiest choice is a chicken fillet. Instead of breading and frying it like cutlets, try a unique roll inspired by the Italian calzone. Your family will be delighted.
Chicken breast doesn't have to be a boring meal. A bit of creativity and a few ingredients can transform a simple fillet into an extraordinary dish. The meat becomes a pocket filled with flavorful homemade pesto, olives, and mozzarella. A chicken calzone surpasses traditional rolls, roulades, and cutlets.
Chicken calzone with pesto - Chicken breast recipe
Calzone is an Italian dish that resembles a dumpling or a croissant. It's essentially a pizza folded in half, filled with a variety of ingredients typically found on a pizza. In this recipe, we use chicken breast instead of pizza dough and fill it with homemade red pesto, mozzarella, and black olives. The entire creation is coated in a crispy breadcrumb crust with Parmesan.
This is a delightful recipe for a family dinner that will surprise even the pickiest guests.
Ingredients:
Red Pesto:
- 2 ounces of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
- 1 ounce of Parmesan cheese
- 1 ounce of almond flakes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper
- ¼ cup of oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
Breading:
- ⅓ cup of grated Parmesan
- ⅓ cup of breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons of dried oregano
Remaining Ingredients:
- 1 large chicken breast fillet
- 2 ounces of grated mozzarella
- 1 handful of fresh basil
- 1 ounce of black olives
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
Instructions:
Step 1. Start by preparing the pesto. Combine sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, almond flakes, peeled garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and tomato oil in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
Step 2. Prepare the breading. Mix dried oregano with grated Parmesan and breadcrumbs.
Step 3. Cut the chicken fillet so it forms a large sheet. Pound it with a meat tenderizer, preferably through plastic wrap to prevent splattering. Spread the prepared pesto, and add grated mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and chopped olives.
Step 4. Fold it in half and secure the edges by pounding them. Sprinkle with the prepared breading, pressing it onto the meat. Drizzle with olive oil. Place in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes.
Step 5. After this time, the chicken calzone is ready to eat. It tastes best when the melted cheese deliciously flows upon cutting. Serve the calzone with your favorite salad; you can also add fries or potatoes. Enjoy!
