Chicken Pizza Pockets

You may remember that not too long ago I posted a recipe for some scrumptious whole wheat pizza crust.  If you don't, you can check it out here.

That same crust is the foundation for today's post.  Same dough, just in a slightly different form.  This time around I made pizza pockets.  These little guys are kind of like calzones I guess, which is basically a pizza folded over on top of itself.  

One thing I like best about these lovely pockets is that all the ingredients inside them really meld together as they bake and you end up with all this gooey goodness oozing all over the place when you bite into them.  Another thing I like is that they are incredibly versatile.  Just like a pizza, they're pretty hard to mess up.  You can add any sauce, cheese, spices, meat and veggies that you like.

The only thing I would caution you with is making sure not to add so many fillings that you can't seal the pockets.  A lot of times it looks like you don't have much piled there, and then when you try to fold the pocket everything spills out all over the place.

This also makes a great meal for kids and gets them involved in the cooking process.  Give each one their own pre-rolled circle of dough and let them fill it themselves...with a close watchful eye nearby :)

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Today's post comes as a result of my husband's plea for healthier dinner options :)  Okay, so pizza isn't exactly healthy, but the wheat crust softens the blow a bit.  While rich, creamy and dreamy meals are wonderful, they don't help one's quest for a trim and fit waistline unfortunately.  Isn't that the way things always go?  If it's enjoyable, then it's usually bad for you.

I had been eyeing this recipe for this amazing pizza dough for quite some time and decided to go out on a limb and use whole wheat flour instead of bread flour.  While I do think that my decision to omit bread flour specifically did affect the outcome somewhat (bread flour has more gluten and produces a chewier texture), I would still say this pizza crust was a hit.

Below is a recipe for the dough only, and you can top your pizza any way you prefer.  I added both gruyere and sharp chedder cheese (1 1/2 C of each), caramelized onions, tomatoes, roasted chicken and artichokes. We had received this delicious artichoke dip that I used as a sauce.

I also brushed the crust with roasted garlic and olive oil before sprinkling with salt.  For the roasted garlic I simply chopped off the top of a head of garlic, poured olive oil over it, topped it with salt and pepper and then roasted it in the oven for about an hour at 425 degrees.  The taste that results is out of this world!

*A side note:  pizza dough also freezes really well.  Just let it rise and then wrap it in plastic wrap before placing it in the freezer.