These chicken crescent rolls are made with cream cheese, seasonings and tender chicken then wrapped in a flaky crescent roll. This make an easy dinner recipe that everyone will love.
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Chicken Crescent Roll Ups
Buttery flaky crescent rolls stuffed with a creamy chicken filling, there is so much to love about these pillowy rolls. And they make a tasty addition to your kids’ lunchbox too!
Crescent rolls are amazing, aren’t they?! There are so many ways to use them from crescent roll taco bake and even dessert cinnamon crescent rolls!
Why This Recipe Works
- Budget-friendly! All of the ingredients are affordable and easy to find at the grocery store.
- Easy recipe. You don’t have to measure things exactly. It’s easy to eyeball the amounts and get them pretty close.
- Customizable. Change the flavors by adding different spices and herbs and adding dips to the table.
- Pre-made ingredients. By using rotisserie shredded chicken, you don’t have to cook the chicken first. It’s one of my favorite leftover rotisserie chicken recipes!
Crescent Roll Chicken Bundles Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Chicken: Save yourself time and energy. Use rotisserie chicken or shred leftover cooked chicken. I have even used cooked then diced chicken tenders and chicken breast in a pinch.
- Crescent rolls: Use any brand that you like. They are the basis of the recipe.
- Cream cheese: To mix it more easily, I have tips on how to soften cream cheese.
- Butter: Since we’re not adding any extra salt, I like to use salted butter.
- Egg: This coats the outside of the pastry to help the crumb mixture stick.
- Ritz crackers & Italian seasoning mix: Coats the chicken crescent rolls in a crispy crumbly texture!
Substitutions and Variations
These chicken pillows are a very basic recipe. So, you’ll have a lot of room for changing them and making them your own!
- Meatless. Leave the chicken out and make them vegetarian by loading it up with veggies like mushrooms, broccoli, and bell peppers.
- Different meat. Or use shredded cooked pork loin or cooked bacon instead of chicken.
- Cheese. Add freshly grated cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, or Parmesan cheese along with cream cheese for a cheese roll.
- Chicken broccoli. Add finely chopped broccoli crowns to sneak some veggies in.
- Seasonings: Instead of Italian dressing, use Old Bay or chili powder in your chicken pockets.
- Spicy: To make it spicier, add some red pepper flakes to the cream cheese.
- Sauce. For a cheese roll casserole, combine cream of chicken soup, milk, sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Bake casserole style with the sauce or serve on the side.
How to Make Chicken Crescent Rolls
After you make flaky chicken-stuffed crescent rolls, you’ll want to add it to your weekly meal rotation. They are so tasty and so easy that they should be a regular feature on your table.
- Mix the filling. Stir together the cream cheese, butter, and chicken. Set this aside.
- Fill the crescent rolls. Roll out the crescent rolls as best as you can without tearing them. Fill them with a scoop of the chicken mixture.
- Roll them up. Fold over the sides and enclose the filling without leaving any open seams. Dip each roll in the beaten egg and then the cracker and Italian dressing crumb mixture.
- Bake the rolls. Bake the chicken pillows in a preheated 400℉ oven until they are puffed and golden brown. This should take about 20 minutes!
Expert Tips
These overstuffed rolls are so simple, but even so, here are a few more tips that will help you make them perfectly the first time.
- Soften the cream cheese. Make sure you soften the cream cheese completely before mixing it in with the chicken. It’s really difficult to mix solid cream cheese.
- Do not overfill the crescent rolls. They will rip if they are too full when you try to roll them.
- Do not let them burn. Check on them after about 18 minutes and remove them as soon as they are golden brown.
- Baking pan. I used a baking sheet but you can opt to use baking dish for a cheesy chicken casserole instead, I recommend making the sauce for this option!
Recipe FAQs
I prefer using rotisserie chicken because I don’t have to cook it! Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
However, if you’ve got some extra time, you can cook either chicken breast or chicken thighs and shred them with a fork.
I love using my air fryer to make other easy dinner ideas and this is no exception. To make them in the air fryer, preheat it to 400℉. Then, bake them for about 10 minutes. Turn them over, and bake them for another 10 minutes.
From crescent roll pizza to easy pizza pinwheels and pigs in a blanket there are a bunch more crescent roll dinner recipes that I am thinking about creating right now. You could even serve these crescent chicken bites as an appetizer for a party!
Keep any leftovers covered in an airtight container or aluminum foil for up to four days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave until warm.
Serving Suggestions
Since chicken crescent rolls have a pretty mild flavor, I suggest serving them with some of your favorite vegetable side dishes. A dish of roasted broccoli and cauliflower will add salty flavors.
I love serving green beans with chicken too! And you can never go wrong with either baked potatoes or rosemary roasted potatoes.
More crescent roll recipes include this crescent roll breakfast casserole, pigs in a blanket with cheese or ham and cheese pinwheels!
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Chicken Crescent Rolls
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Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter , at room temperature
- 6 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 ½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 (8-ounce) can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
- 1 large egg
- 15 Ritz crackers , crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian dressing mix
Optional serving: Sauce in notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir butter and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in chicken and italian seasoning.
- On the baking sheet, stretch the crescent rolls out without tearing. Place a scoop of chicken mixture in the center of each roll. Wrap the sides of the dough around the mixture until completely enclosed and no mixture is showing.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg. In a shallow bowl, stir together the Ritz crackers and dressing mix.
- Dip a roll first into the egg and then into the cracker mixture, being sure to coat all sides. Return to the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining rolls.
- Bake 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 30 Minute Meals, American, Chicken, Dinner, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. Here you will find easy family-friendly recipes for every occasion.
Made this Chicken Crescent Roll Ups recipe yesterday for dinner and it was a huge hit! My family loves them, they want me to make more roll ups this Christmas!
A fun and easy recipe, always a hit with the kids! I, so glad you loved it :)
My kids and I LOVE these! They’re perfect when you need an easy meal that’s also delicious. The cracker topping totally makes it!
Cracked topping is my favorite too! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed the recipe!
These are the most perfect mid week dinner, and are loved by all!