Chicken Crescent Roll Ups are the perfect, easy dinner recipe you need this week. Cream cheese, shredded chicken, green onions wrapped in a flaky crescent roll makes these a REAL family favorite.
I have heard this dish go by many a name, including Chicken Pillows, Crescent Chicken Squares, Chicken Bundles, or Chicken Crescent Bombs. Whatever you prefer to call it, this dish is delicious and oh so flavorful.
Served alongside a favorite side dish like Cheesy Funeral Potatoes or simple Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes these crescents make for a family favorite weeknight meal.
Or try them paired with a Citrus Cranberry Salad with homemade Poppy Seed Dressing and you have a filling lunch for any day of the week.
🥫 Ingredients
With just a handful of easy ingredients, it can't get any easier to get these Chicken Crescent Roll Ups on the table even on the busiest of weeknights.
- cream cheese
- butter
- green onion
- salt and pepper
- milk
- shredded chicken
- crescent dough
(Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements and full printable instructions.)
Types of Chicken
Need dinner on the table like five minutes ago, but don't have any cooked chicken? No worries. In a pinch you can use canned chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken. Both work flawlessly for making this meal go even quicker!
Canned Chicken
Now if you are anything like I was you may be thinking, Really ... canned chicken? But hear me out, I was skeptical too. But I have learned canned chicken really is a great alternative when you need dinner on the table quick.
Our favorite brand of canned chicken is Kirkland Signature Chicken Breast. If you don't have a Costco membership I would suggest using Hormel Premium Chunk Chicken. I hate to say it but when it comes to canned meat I am a bit of a brand snob.
So take my suggestion here with a grain of salt. Once you have opened your cans make sure you rinse the chicken thoroughly. I like to rinse it two or three times after opening and draining to wash off the extra salt and brine.
Another recipe I like to use Kirkland canned chicken in is our quick and simple Chicken Salad recipe. Works like a charm every time!
Rotisserie Chicken
Rotisserie chickens are one of my favorite things to grab when we are at the grocery store and I don't have plans for dinner yet. There are just so many possibilities and options like these Chicken Crescent Roll Ups when you have a rotisserie chicken on hand.
We find the best Rotisserie Chickens come from Costco. In fact, Costco is famous for its large rotisserie chickens at only $4.99. I mean in 2018 they sold over 91 million chickens alone!
But with their large size, and great flavor it is no wonder they are so popular - a hot, delicious and easy dinner with a price tag you just can't beat!
🥣 Step by Step Instructions
Firstly, add all the ingredients for the chicken mixture into a large bowl. Then combine the mixture until everything is well mixed. Once thoroughly mixed set the chicken filling aside.
Afterwards open the crescent dough and begin separating them. After the dough is separated into the pre-cut triangles you will want to spoon roughly ¼ cup of the mixture on to the triangle.
Then begin folding the filled crescents for Chicken Crescent Roll Ups. Firstly fold the left side in, then the right side in, and finally roll your bundle towards the long point and pinch the edges closed.
Lastly go ahead and place the completed chicken crescent roll up on the baking sheet. Continue this process till all crescents are made.
Now that that is complete we can finish off those crescents! At this point you can go one of three routes. Option 1 - you can choose to lightly bread your crescents. Or Option 2 - for a more flaky crust use a whisked egg to brush each one before baking in the oven. And lastly Option 3 - leave the crescent "naked" and bake as is.
Once you have finished coating your crescents it is time for them to go in the oven to bake. When nice and golden go ahead and remove them from the oven. Then allow them to cool slightly before serving and enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Make it Your Own
Perhaps you've tried Chicken Crescent Roll Ups before? Then maybe you are looking for a way to change things up. A great way to give this tried and true recipe a revamp is taking the liberty to play with the recipe a bit.
You could very easily add an Italian dressing mix or a ranch seasoning mix to the mixture for an extra punch of flavor. Another easy substitution that makes for a big impact is subbing the cream cheese in the recipe for flavored chive and onion cream cheese.
The best meals are customizable. Add any of the following to your chicken mixture for a totally customizable meal. However, I would suggest limiting your extras to one or two add ins for the right creamy chicken ratio.
- Chopped spinach (¾ cup)
- Chopped broccoli (½ cup)
- Diced Green chilis (1 small can)
- Diced Jalapeños (¼ cup)
- Frozen Peas (¼ cup)
- Bacon Crumbles (¼ - ½ cup)
- Mozzarella, Cheddar, or Parmesan (1 cup)
- Celery gives texture and a little crunch (½ cup)
- Diced Bell Pepper (½ cup)
- Sliced Mushrooms (¾ cup)
- Sautéed Onions (1 cup)
💭 Top Tips
Cooking Chicken
It is no secret preparing meat is one of my least favorite things to do in the kitchen. One of the ways I work around this is by pre-cooking chicken in large batches via crockpot or instant pot.
It is one of those great Pro Chef - Mom Hacks that makes my life soooo much easier. With this method I can knock out the meat for 3 or 4 meals in one cooking session and who wouldn't want that!?
My favorite way to cook chicken is actually with a fairly hands off approach. I prefer to let my kitchen friends (the crockpot or Instant Pot) do all the heavy lifting for me.
Shredding Chicken
Does that mean I have to hand shred all that meat at once? Sounds like torture. No. I wouldn't do you dirty like that. I got you.
Want to know the fastest and quickest way to shred mass amounts of chicken for a recipe like these Chicken Crescent Roll Ups? I'm talking like in minutes ... well let me introduce you to your new favorite Pro Chef - Mom Hack.
You will be mad you didn't learn this sooner. You can shred any kind of meat with the help of a hand mixer or Kitchen Aid effortlessly.
That's right. You read that correctly. For all the juicy details and fantastic video footage go over and check out just how to do it here.
Freezer Friendly
Chicken Crescent Roll Ups are an easy meal to prep now and freeze for later for a night down the road when you need the extra help. When making this recipe double the mixture ingredients.
Then freeze any leftover chicken mixture. The next time you need a quick meal, pull that mixture from the freezer for a quick thaw, grab some crescent dough and you've got a hot meal in mere minutes!
If you are a fan of leftovers I will say, Chicken Crescent Roll Ups are super good re-heated or even cold the next day. Double the batch and give it a try!
Once my chicken is cooked I clean and shred the meat and divide it into ziplock bags with just the right amount of meat for a meal down the road.
Making dinner is so much easier when you don't have to prepare, cook and clean the meat in addition to getting a recipe all put together.
📋 FAQ's
What is best way to shred chicken?
Want to know the fastest and quickest way to shred mass amounts of chicken? I'm talking like in minutes ... well let me introduce you to your new favorite top tip. You will be mad you didn't learn this sooner... You can shred any kind of meat with the help of a hand mixer or Kitchen Aid effortlessly.
What is the best way to cook chicken?
I like to pre-cook chicken in large batches. It is one of those great Pro Chef - Mom Hacks that makes my life so much easier. With this method I can knock out the meat for 3 or 4 meals in one cooking session!?
My favorite way to cook chicken in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. Letting them do all the heavy lifting makes it all so so easy. Once the chicken is cooked I clean and shred the meat and divide it into ziplock bags with just the right amount of meat for a meal down the road.
Making dinner is so much easier when you don't have to prepare, cook and clean the meat in addition to getting a recipe all put together.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Crescent Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons green onion
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 4 cups shredded chicken
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 5 tablespoons milk
- 2 cans crescent roll dough
Topping for Crescents
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup traditional bread crumbs
- ¼ cup parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In bowl blend cream cheese and melted butter.8 ounces cream cheese, 4 tablespoons melted butter
- Add chicken, salt, pepper, milk and green onions and mix well.4 cups shredded chicken, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 5 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons green onion
- Seperate crescent dough into individual triangles as marked.2 cans crescent roll dough
- Spoon roughly ¼ cup of the mixture near the base of the triangle and roll crescent up in the traditional crescent shape, pinching any open edges closed.
- In small bowl combine parmesean and bread crumbs to create topping mixture.½ cup traditional bread crumbs, ¼ cup parmesan
- Brush each roll up lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with topping mixture.2 tablespoons melted butter
- Place crescents in a lightly greased 13x9 casserole dish or on a baking sheet.
- Let bake in the oven till golden brown, for 25-30 minutes.
- Serve hot alongside a favorite cream sauce or chicken gravy.
Video
Notes
- For variety try adding sliced mushrooms and/or sautéed onions to the mixture.
- Swap out the plain cream cheese for chive and onion cream cheese for a little stronger flavor profile.
- Be sure to check the bottom of the chicken roll ups to be sure they don't burn.
Kamilah Arceneaux says
The filling was delicious but I opted out of the bread crumbs, so there wasn’t really any crunch and it was a bit soft for me. Really delicious flavor though and worth giving a try, I might make these again using a different dough so it can be more crisp.
Amber says
Kids and family loved this! Making it again for girls game night tonight with friends 🧡
I rolled them in the bread crumbs and it turned out great!
Tracy Finch says
This was my 2nd Dashley kitchen recipe this week. I modified a little. I added some buffalo ran errands sauce to the mixture and a little buffalo ranch season to the chicken before I air fried it.
My husband said they were really good, but not as good as the stroganoff. 😂
Next to try, Key Lime Pie!
Halie says
These were so easy to put together and tasted AMAZING!
Virginia says
Delicious! I ended up using sweet onion instead of green onion since that’s all I had on hand. I took the suggestion to add some bell pepper and I’m very happy that I did!
Kayla Clark says
This was amazing and soo easy to make. Will definitely make again.
Katie says
I made these last night with the addition of ranch powder, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. It was a big hit. Even my 18month old devoured one.
Whitney Hoover says
I have made many different chicken pocket/ chicken pillow recipes over the years, and these are definitely at the top of the list.
Jamie says
My mom always made something similar to this growing up and making it for my kiddo was so nostalgic. It was so yummy! I'm glad it made so much so we can eat it for lunch tomorrow too.
hannah says
My toddler loved these!
Maressa says
Took us about 30 minutes to have it ready to put in the oven and we added spinach and used onion chive cream cheese instead of plain. So delicious
Kaylie says
Easy recipe especially if you use the instant pot/mixer to make and shred the chicken. Comes together easy and family friendly!
Chloe says
I love making these. After I made them five times I started switching the recipe up and it's been fun. Our family tradition now is to make a whole bunch of these and pack them up and eat them while we drive around and look at Christmas lights.
Mihra says
Had wildly more filling left over than I had crescent rolls. Maybe include measurements for using the canned chicken. I would use maybe a third the amount of chicken and even less since I added a cup of cheese.
Kinley Palmer says
Great recipe. So many different ways you could make these. I added the “extras”. Some jalapenos and cooked bacon and it was amazing. I seasoned my chicken and baked it in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes. I did add a little garlic powder to the cream cheese mixture. And to the bread crumb topping I added a little salt, dried parsley and some celery seed. I will definitely make these an appetizer for parties. There are so many ways you can make this. It will be fun to try new combinations!! Thanks for a great dish.
Samantha Walton says
These chicken crescents are so delicious! The whole family loves them.