Chicken Parmesan Calzone Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep calzones from getting soggy? ›

Keep moisture to a minimum to prevent soggy crust. If possible, try to get as much moisture out of any fillings you can. Like for eggplant, you can salt it and put it in the oven first to get a good bit of water out. For cheese, go easy on the fresh mozzarella.

Calzones' fillings do not include sauce; marinara is served on the side for dipping. Stromboli portions can also be dipped, but they can also be baked with the sauce inside.

Some believe that it was created in Parma, hence the name. Others believe it comes from a Sicilian word that means slabs on a roof, referring to the thin slices of chicken covered in the sauce.

Both are prepared with flour, water, salt, and yeast; that's the solution. In contrast, the eggs and olive oil used in most calzone dough give it a deeper flavor and a softer texture. Eggs and oil are not common ingredients in pizza dough, contributing to its crispiness and durability.

Step 2 - Bake

Set air fryer to 370°F and bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Baking times vary by air fryer. Calzone is done when it's golden brown and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Tip: To achieve a crisper bottom crust, use tongs or a spatula to flip the calzone over for the final 2 to 3 minutes of baking.

You Don't Start Dry

The first step to breading chicken is crucial; make sure the chicken is completely dry before starting the dredging process. Using a paper towel, pat the meat dry on all sides. Excess moisture will cause the flour to get soggy and thus will not adhere properly to the chicken.

To maximize crispiness, I use panko breadcrumbs and fry the chicken in a little more oil (about an inch) than you might normally use when making parm. As soon as the cutlets are nicely browned and cooked all the way though, drain them on a rack or paper towels. They're crunchy; this will help them stay that way.

Sauce: Usually pizza sauce is used either as a dip or even inside the filling in Calzone. There is a scare of the calzone becoming soggy if you add more sauce to the filling. So our recommendation would be to serve it with hot pizza sauce on the side. There will be a burst of flavors in your mouth.

Calzones use ricotta cheese, and stromboli does not. Stromboli is made with mozzarella cheese (preferably low-moisture) to keep moisture at a minimum. This helps the interior dough cook fully. Calzones usually use a blend of cheese that almost always incorporates ricotta.

Why do you cut slits in calzone? ›

Cut slits for steam to escape. Repeat for the second pizza dough. Bake 30 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

The use of the parmesan, mozzarella and provolone together leads to a really nice balance of cheesy flavor as opposed to just using mozzarella, which is how I have made it in the past. This will definitely be my favorite “go to” Chicken Parmigiana recipe for now on.

Brace yourself for this one—they're the same dish! Chicken Parmesan and chicken Parmigiana are just different names for the same exact recipe. And, with a name like “chicken Parmigiana”, you might assume that this recipe is Italian. While it has roots in Italy (in a way), chicken Parmesan is all-American.

Despite being a staple of Italian-American cuisine, “chicken parmesan” is nowhere to be found in Italy. Instead, Italians nosh on parmigiana – eggplant layered with tomato sauce and cheese.

Pretty much anything that goes on a pizza can go into a calzone. The fillings are placed on one half of the circular shaped pizza dough. The dough is then folded over, pinched and sealed, coated with an egg wash or olive oil, and baked in the oven until golden brown.

The trick to keep in mind when making calzones

The outlet notes that a simple egg wash (typically of egg and water, though some opt for milk) brushed all over the calzone helps to give it a shiny finish that will rival a store-bought iteration.

The Italian treats calzones and strombolis are almost always brushed with egg wash to give them a delicious browned appearance, as are some Italian breads. Challah is a bread that gets it's classic shiny crust from egg wash.