Easy Chicken Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
Refrigerated crescent rolls have become one of my go-to ingredients for quick and easy recipes. From breakfast to dessert, buttery and flaky crescent dough can take ordinary ingredients to the next level. And that is exactly what has happened with these Easy Chicken Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls! An unassuming chicken cream cheese filling is stuffed inside crescent dough and baked to golden perfection. The best part however? These little nuggets can be an appetizer or dinner!
Do you love crescent roll dough recipes? Try these Easy Nutella Crescent Rolls!
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The BEST Chicken Cream Cheese Crescents
When I say these chicken in crescent rolls with cream cheese are the best it is for a number of reasons. YES! They are absolutely delicious and can be served for an appetizer or dinner {don’t you love dual purpose recipes}.
You will also love how easy they come together. Many recipes require a complicated rolling method and in this crescent roll recipe we don’t even unroll the dough. The round dough from the tube gets cut into 8 sections and formed into discs, making it super simple.
They are also stuffed with an amazing filling. The best part is that you can get creative and customize it by adding items you love. Although the combination of cream cheese, chicken, bacon and green onions is fabulous as it is.
These crescents are also fabulous because it is the perfect recipe to use up leftover chicken. They really are so versatile.
Ingredients Needed
- Refrigerated Crescent Rolls- A versatile and delicious base ingredient.
- Cream Cheese- Adds the perfect creamy element and helps to bind all of the other ingredients together.
- Cooked Chicken- A great way to use leftover chicken but store bought or even canned chicken works wonderful too.
- Bacon- I am a fan of using real bacon bits to keep things simple but cooked and chopped bacon would be fabulous.
- Shredded Cheese- Adding another cheese layer and flavor to the filling.
- Green Onions- Added for a nice onion flavor without being too overpowering.
- Garlic Powder and Pepper- Added to season the filling and make it even more amazing.
How to make Easy Chicken Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
- Carefully remove the refrigerated crescent rolls from the package, being sure to not unroll.
- Cut the log into 8 equal rounds. Using a serrated knife makes this job super easy.
- Place the crescent roll rounds onto a silicone mat {or parchment} lined baking sheet. Flatten out each round, keeping a lip around the outside edge.
- Combine all of the filling ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Place about 2 tablespoons of dough into the middle of each crescent round and spread to the outside rim.
- Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Expert Tips
- Be careful when getting the crescent roll dough out of the tube. The trick is to keep it in the round roll that it comes in and not unroll it.
- Keep the crescent roll discs the same size so that they bake at the same rate. To do this I like to cut the dough log in half. Then each of those halves in half again and finally, each of those halves in half one more time. Leaving you with 8 even cuts.
- Let the cream cheese come to room temperature before using it in the filling. This step will help you stir all of your filling ingredients easily.
- Be careful if you decide to add salt to the filling. Remember you are already adding cheese and bacon which are two salty foods. Adding additional salt could make this dish too salty.
- Stuff the center of each disc with a lot of filling. You are going to want a good ratio of filling to crescent roll dough in this recipe with crescent rolls and cream cheese.
Variations/Substitutions
- Chicken- Leftover chicken is always my go-to but rotisserie chicken and other forms of store bought chicken work great {even canned chicken}.
- Bacon- The bacon can be left out altogether or substitute an Italian sausage or other flavorful meat you love.
- Shredded Cheese- Any kind of shredded cheese works great, so add what you love or have on hand. If you love spice, a pepper jack cheese would be a great option.
- Green Onions- If onion flavor isn’t your thing then leave the green onion out {I totally get it}. Add a few chopped parsley leaves to the filling for a same beautiful green addition to the filling.
- Other Filling Add-in Ideas- If you want to change up the filling altogether and get creative then go for it! Green peas, celery, roasted red peppers, olives, red onion would all be great options.
Frequently Asked Questions:
This chicken and bacon filling would be great as a dip for crackers. It would also be delicious as the filling in a quesadilla.
They will freeze alright for up to a month. The truth is that this recipe is so simple I would go ahead and make them fresh instead of worrying about freezing them.
Yes, canned chicken would be wonderful in this chicken cream cheese filling. You can also use rotisserie or other store bought versions of chicken to make it easy.
Fresh baked croissants will work but the recipe won’t be exactly the same. To make them on fresh croissants, cut a slit in the side of the croissant and fill it with the chicken cream cheese filling. Bake in the oven as directed.
The best way to reheat Chicken Crescent Rolls is in the microwave for 25-30 seconds.
You can make the filling ahead of time. I would stuff the crescent roll dough and bake right before serving. The filling however can be made up to a day ahead of time.
Do you love crescent roll dough? Try these amazing recipes…
- Jalapeno Popper Crescent Bites
- Easy Ham Breakfast Casserole
- Crescent Roll Breakfast Pastry
- Pigs in a Blanket Breakfast Casserole Recipe
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Easy Chicken Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 package refrigerated crescent rolls
- 4 ounces cream cheese {softened}
- ½ cup chicken {cooked and chopped}
- 3 Tablespoons bacon {cooked and chopped}
- ¼ cup shredded cheese
- 2 green onions {chopped}
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Remove crescent roll dough from the package but do not unroll. Cut the roll of dough into equal slices {I used a serrated knife}. Place slices about 2 inches apart on a silicone mat {or parchment} lined cookie sheet. Press each slice into a round that is about 2” in diameter, making sure to keep a ridge around the outer edge {this will hold in the filling}.
- In a medium bowl combine the softened cream cheese, chopped chicken, chopped bacon, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, garlic powder and black pepper. Stir until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of filling to the middle of each dough round. Be sure to press and spread the mixture onto the dough and up to the outer edge {but not beyond}.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and serve warm. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
