Chicken Broccoli Stromboli

Chicken broccoli stromboli wraps up all your comfort cravings in one golden crust. Cheesy, hearty, and perfect for game day or lunches!

I’m starting anew. With the way life has been lately, it’s the only way to go. I’m not complaining — in fact, I’ve learned more about myself, about others, about life in general these past couple of months than I have in a long time, and I am grateful.

It’s another step in the process of growing up, I guess (“If only someone had told us when we were in high school how tough it is to be an adult!” my friends and I say. Ah, hindsight is 20/20).

So, instead of crawling back into a cave, where everything seems comfortable and easy and unobtrusive (and yet, ignorant and stagnant), I’m pressing forward. And I’m taking this stromboli with me.

The first time I made stromboli, I was worried. I was worried it would taste boring, with too much crust and not enough filling, or that all of the filling would spill out of the bottom leaving me with a pizza crust skeleton and a lovely mess of cheese on the side. That is my way, worrying. But I forged ahead anyway, as is also my way these days. And I’m glad I did, because on the other end of the bridge was me and this glorious goodness — this ooey-gooey, cheesy and crusty wonder — stuffed with pieces of tender, juicy chicken and crisp, roasted broccoli. One bite, and my worries were gone.

Of course, a stromboli won’t take all of your cares away. It won’t make the rain turn into rainbows, and it won’t turn a bad egg into a golden one. In the end, it’s just a stromboli. But sometimes, that’s all we need, isn’t it? Just a little something, something to remind us of the small joys in life, something that shows us, in the deepest, darkest of caves, that there is goodness on the other side. And I’m going there, headfirst, belly full.

P.S. Check out this equally yummy Mushroom Fontina Stromboli over at Tablespoon or my new broccoli-cheese obsession broccoli rolls!