These easy 5 ingredient Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Calzones are a cheesy and spicy pocket of goodness, perfect for a quick 20 minute dinner recipe!
Buffalo Chicken Hot Pocket
Growing up I loved when Mom let us have a lazy lunch of Hot Pockets. They’ve got everything you want in a meal in one convenient package that is easy to eat. As I have grown up, Hot Pockets have lost their appeal a bit, but the concept hasn’t.
These Air Fryer Chicken Calzones are a homemade version of the handheld dinner in a pocket. With only 5 simple ingredients, they come together in just 20 minutes and will be a huge hit. They are a spicy take on my Air Fryer Taco Calzones that my kids absolutely love!
Leftover Shredded Chicken Recipe
Whether you cooked up a big batch of Pressure Cooker Chicken and have leftovers or you grabbed some rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, this Air Fryer chicken calzone recipe is the perfect way to put it to use.
Grab your favorite bottle of hot sauce, I usually stick with Frank’s wing sauce. It is thicker than the standard Franks, which I prefer. Toss it with the chicken and you are on your way to these amazing pizza pockets!
What you need to make buffalo chicken pockets
To get started you just need to grab the following ingredients.
- 1 1/3 cups shredded chicken
- 1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1 1/3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup bleu cheese crumbles
- 1 tube refrigerated pizza crust
Not everyone is a big fan of bleu cheese or gorgonzola, but buffalo sauce and bleu cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly. They area perfect match! If you really dislike stinky cheeses, feel free to just skip that ingredient though.
How to make Air Fryer Calzones
Roll out your sheet of pizza dough on a cutting board. Divide the dough into 4 equal squares. Using a pizza cutter, trim the edges of the squares to make a circle.
In a medium bowl, toss shredded chicken with buffalo sauce and bleu cheese crumbles. Top half of each dough circle with 1/4th of the meat. Top the other half with 1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella. Be sure not to put any meat or cheese over the outside edges so they can seal.
Fold the buffalo chicken calzone in half and press the seams together with a fork. Spray both sides of the pizza dough pockets with pan spray or olive oil.
Arrange the calzones in the Air Fryer basket and cook at 325° for 8-10 minutes. Watch them closely at the 8 minute mark so you don’t overcook them.
The end result is a tender pocket made of pizza dough filled with gooey cheese and spicy buffalo chicken. These Air Fryer Chicken Calzones are so easy to make, it’s hard to believe it tastes so good!
What Air Fryer Should I Buy?
I have the Phillips XXL basket that I love for it’s larger capacity. I was able to fit all 4 pizza pockets in my basket at one time. A toaster oven or conventional oven will work as well, but will take longer to cook through.
If you have a smaller basket, you will want to use a Air Fryer Multi Rack in your basket or cook them in separate batches.
What to serve with Air Fryer chicken calzones
These cheesy buffalo chicken calzones are good on their own, but even better dipped in some ranch or bleu cheese dressing.
On the side of your dinner plate, be sure to add some vegetables for a complete meal. Here are just a few good recipe ideas that pair well with buffalo chicken.
- Air Fryer Carrot Fries
- Bleu Cheese Broccoli Slaw
- Fresh Tomato Burrata Salad
- Best Side Salad Recipe
- Sugar Snap Pea Salad
What can I make with leftover pizza dough?
Do not throw away the scraps of leftover pizza dough from the calzones! After your pizza pockets are done cooking, we are going to use this to make my favorite part of this whole recipe.
Cut the strips into even sized pieces, about 2 inches long. Add them to the Air Fryer and cook at 325° for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, make a little cinnamon sugar mixture and add it to a deep bowl. The best ration for cinnamon sugar is 4 parts granulated sugar to 1 part ground cinnamon.
As soon as the scraps are done cooking, add them directly to the bowl of cinnamon sugar and toss to coat. They will be ready to enjoy for a delicious dessert after your family has devoured their Taco Calzones!
If you are feeling really ambitious, you can always use your Air Fryer to make some actual churros.
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Calzones
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups shredded chicken
- 1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1 1/3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup bleu cheese crumbles
- 1 tube refrigerated pizza crust
- Green onions and ranch dressing for serving
Instructions
- Spread out your sheet of pizza dough on a clean surface. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 4 even squares.
- Cut each square into a large circle using the pizza cutter. Set the dough scraps aside to make cinnamon sugar bites.
- In a small bowl mix the chicken, buffalo sauce and bleu cheese crumbles.
- Top one half of each circle of dough with a heaping 1/3 cup chicken and 1/3 cup shredded cheese.
- Fold the empty half over the meat and cheese and press the edges of the dough together with a fork to seal it tightly. Repeat with all four calzones.
- Gently pick up each calzone and spray it with pan spray or olive oil. Arrange them in your Air Fryer basket.
- Cook the calzones at 325° for 8-10 minutes. Watch them closely at the 8 minute mark so you don’t overcook them.
- Serve topped with green onions and a side of ranch dressing.
Jasper Coventry says
they were raw adn wouldn’t cook
Gloria says
This is my kind of recipe. What a fun meal for the weekend. I think that Snap Pea Salad will be the perfect side too.