BBQ Chicken Calzone

Have you heard of Pinterest? One of my friends first told me about it a few weeks ago and I thought it sounded like another time-sucking website I needed to avoid. Of course, I chose not to and it's now my favorite place to play on the web. If the dishes don't get cleaned, the laundry doesn't get folded (or even washed), the floors don't get swept...it's all Pinterest's fault. Sad but true!

Pinterest is basically an online bulletin board where you can 'pin' pictures, recipes, ideas, quotes, etc. of things from anywhere on the internet. You can create different files - for example, I have boards for recipes, party ideas, fun activities to do with Finley, and ideas for home decor - so that all your online inspiration/ideas are organized. I love to be organized, especially since I find it so hard to be in real life:-) Anyway, all this gabbing about Pinterest has a point.

I made an upscale version of CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza (with bacon, chicken, smoked gouda and caramelized onions) a few weeks ago, but the cheese I chose didn't melt well so the end result tasted fantastic but did not look pretty. When I was on Pinterest a few days ago I saw a tutorial about how to create a really good-looking calzone. And inspiration hit - I decided to turn my ugly duckling of a pizza into a beautiful calzone.

BBQ Chicken Stromboli

a Baking and Eggs original recipe

here's a link to the wrap tutorial, in case you'd like step by step pictures

3 slices bacon, preferably hickory smoked

1 red onion, sliced into thin rings

1 tube refrigerated french bread dough

1/4 -1/3 cup smoky barbecue sauce, depending on how saucy you like your pizza

1 chicken breast, cooked and diced (I used a breast from a rotisserie chicken)

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

7 oz smoked gouda cheese, shredded

Extra barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon until lightly browned and crisp. Remove bacon to paper towel-lined plate to cool. When cool, crumble bacon and set aside.

Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in the pan, lower heat to medium-low and add the onion. Stirring occasionally to keep onion from burning, cook until onion is soft and golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, spread out your dough onto a baking sheet - sides may hang off the sheet but that's okay. Orient the dough with the short side facing you and spread the BBQ sauce down the middle (vertical). Top with the chicken, crumbled bacon, caramelized onion, cilantro and cheese.

Now comes the fun part! Cut the dough on each side of the filling in 3/4-inch intervals - you want to have the same number of strips on each side. Start at the bottom, alternating sides, stretch the strip up and across the filling on a slight diagonal. Keep doing that until you reach the last strip.

Bake at 350 degrees until the dough is a light golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve with extra barbecue sauce, if desired!