Chicken-Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls

I’d like to tell you about my new best friend. Her name is Gisela. She likes Harry Potter, U2, and hot teen vampires. Okay that’s really about all I know. And I may or may not have learned it from reading her blog profile. There’s also a good chance she thinks I’m psycho for sending her half of my broken heart BFF necklace seeing as we’ve never actually met. Or spoken. Or emailed. Or even twittered (gasp!) However, dear Gisela did make a big impact in my life when she uttered 3 little words in the comment section of my Stuffed Pizza Rolls post: Chicken. Bacon. Ranch.

I haven’t stopped thinking about those 3 words since. I’ve spent my days just imagining how good it would be and wondering how on earth smarty-pants Gisela thought of it before I did. I finally got around to trying it out today and it was soooo worth it. I actually like them way better than the marinara version. I know tons of you have tried and loved the stuffed pizza rolls, so peeps- put this stuff on your grocery list NOW! And thanks a ton for a great idea Gisela. I’ll stop sending you flowers now.

This is a great way to use up leftover rotisserie/fauxtisserie chicken. You know when you pick all of the meat off the bones and then the next day your kids won’t eat it because they say it looks icky? Well once it’s slathered in cheese, bread, and ranch dressing, the only thing they’ll be saying is, Mom you’re freakin‘ rad.

Chicken-Bacon Stuffed Pizza Rolls
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1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (or make your own)
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
sharp cheddar cheese (I used 75% sharp cheddar and 25% mozzarella)
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
about 1 C shredded, cooked chicken.
3/4 C mayo
3/4 C milk

First take 1 teaspoon of your ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 T parmesan cheese. Set aside. Combine the remaining ranch mix with 3/4 C mayo and 3/4 C milk and place in the fridge to chill.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it’s 400-425 degrees.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it’s about 12″ by 8″. You’re going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings.

I grab the four corners first and then squeeze the seams shut. Then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish). Brush with melted butter or olive oil and sprinkle with the parmesan-ranch mixture.

Time out for a sec. I tried a few new things this time around. One was to cook some of my rolls in a mini-muffin pan. This might work better for serving depending on the situation. They turned out great. You’re making 24 rolls, so it fills up the pan perfectly. They cook quicker this way than in a pie pan so keep an eye on them. Mine only took about 8 minutes whereas the ones in the pan took about 13-15.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Place your rolls in the oven. I’ve noticed baking time really depends on the type of dough I’m using. Whether it’s different brands from the store, or homemade dough, they all take different amounts of time. Set your timer for 10 minutes and check on them after that. They may take up to 15 or 20 to be done. Take them out when they’re lightly golden on top.

Serve them warm with a side of freshly made ranch dressing for dipping.

I’m serious when I tell you these are amazing. They were actually way better than I had imagined them. Although how could you possibly go wrong with warm dough, gooey cheese, and crispy bacon, dipped in ranch. You can’t. You just can’t.

The other great thing is that these are freezable! Before baking, flash freeze individually, or together right in a disposable foil pan.  Bake from frozen until golden brown.