30 minute dinner to the rescue! Crescent chicken roll ups are the easiest. Cream cheese, chicken, and cream of chicken soup make up the basics.
It's the simplest of simple recipes, super quick and *not very* healthy by any means, but filling for SURE and my kids LOVE them. They're easy to make ahead and freeze and reheat for later too!
If you want to be extra fancy you can add minced onions and crumbled crackers on top, like we sometimes do. Stuffed chicken roll ups are one of our kids' (plus the husbands') favorite dinners, along with Chicken Pot Pie with Frozen Veggies, also incredibly easy.
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What To Expect
- Taste: Buttery crescent rolls wrapped around a cream cheese shredded chicken filling.
- Ease: As simple as mixing together the cream cheese chicken filling and filling the crescent rolls. A beginner recipe that inexperienced cooks can do.
- Time: 5-10 minutes to fill the crescent rolls and 20 minutes to bake! About 30 minutes total.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Chicken - canned chicken is used for this recipe, but rotisserie chicken can definitely be used!
- Crescent Rolls - found in the refrigerated biscuit section of grocery stores. Regular or Buttery versions both work well.
- Cream Cheese- you can use full fat, partial fat, or fat free in this recipe.
- Cream of Chicken Soup - you can use regular, low sodium, fat-free, etc. I have seen some people use an extra can to use as a chicken gravy over the tops of these as well.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- You can add chopped white or green onions to the filling for a little extra flavor.
- Add crushed salty crackers to the top for a nice little crunch!
- Add in 1-2 Tablespoons of pesto sauce for a little spin.
- Add shredded cheese to the filling for lovely melty flavor.
🧑🍳 Instructions
Don't forget to preheat oven to 375℉ and prepare a baking sheet baking spray or silicon baking mat.
- Step 1. In a bowl, combine canned chicken, softened cream cheese, cream of chicken soup (save 2 Tablespoons to spread on the tops), and minced onion (optional). Mix well.
- Step 2. Open the crescent rolls and spread out both in sheets side by side.
- Step 3. Scoop 2-3 Tablespoons chicken filling into each crescent roll using a large cookie scoop.
- Step 4. Roll the long end of the triangle over the filling to the top, (above left image) and then fold each side up and over and attach to the top of the roll up (above right image).
- Step 5. Spread the remaining 2 Tablespoons of cream of chicken soup on the tops of each roll up (above left image).
- Optional: crush up crackers and sprinkle on the tops of the roll ups (above right image).
- Bake for 20-22 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm!
📌 Top Tips & Hacks
- Make time to soften the cream cheese! It's so much easier to stir into the chicken when its warm or soft. It can be warmed in the microwave to make it easier.
- Don't roll out the crescents and fill one at a time. Roll out both cans of raw crescent rolls at the same time to help with filling quickly. It also helps to distribute the filling evenly between the rolls when you don't fill and roll one at a time.
- Use a cookie scoop to help make sure there's an equal amount of filling in each crescent roll.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Once they're baked and cooled you can freeze them individually on a baking sheet (so they don't all freeze together) and then transfer them to a freezer safe container to freeze for up to 3 months.
375 ℉ for 20-22 minutes.
The closest thing would probably be pre-made puff pastry dough.
🍗 More Yummy Chicken Dinner Recipes
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Chicken Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 2 (12.5 oz) cans cooked chicken about 2 cups drained
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 Tablespoons minced onion optional
- 2 cans crescent rolls (8 biscuits in each can)
- 10 salty crackers (like Ritz) optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉ and prepare a baking sheet baking spray or silicon baking mat.
- In a bowl, combine canned chicken, cream cheese, condensed cream of chicken soup (save 2-3 Tablespoons to spread on the tops), and minced onion (optional). Mix well.
- Open the crescent rolls and spread out both in sheets side by side.
- Scoop 2-3 Tablespoons chicken filling into each crescent roll using a large cookie scoop.
- Roll the long end of the triangle over the filling to the top, and then fold each side up and over and attach to the top of the roll up.
- Spread the remaining 2-3 Tablespoons of cream of chicken soup on the tops of each roll up. Just a thin layer is fine.
- Optional: crush up crackers and sprinkle on the tops of the roll ups.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm!
Kass says
My family made these all the time when I was growing up, we just called them chicken pillows. My mom always added mushroom and green onion (or chive cream cheese for ease). They are the best comfort meal.
Sara says
OKAY I call them chicken pillows and my husband doesn’t know what I’m talking about and doesn’t believe chicken pillows are a thing. Glad I’m not alone and also chive cream cheese is smart and sounds delicious.
Sara says
This is a recipe we've made for years and the kids love. Sometimes we do onions, sometimes we don't it just depends on our mood. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Please leave a comment here and share your feedback with a star rating. I really enjoyed creating this recipe and post for you!