Recipe Origins
Ah, Chicken Rollups, one of our family’s favorite meals! I came across the original recipe for this dish sometime in the early 2000’s in a family cookbook that I received from Aunt Judy. The recipe author is listed as Uncle Troy, and I don’t think I’ve ever even told him how much we enjoy this recipe! The original recipe title is Chicken Crescent Rolls, but over time somehow we started calling it Chicken Rollups.
Why We Love It
The main reason we love Chicken Rollups is because they taste so good! That creamy, oniony, chicken filling wrapped up in a buttery crescent roll and topped with the crispy texture of bread crumbs is just a winner all around. Another reason we love them is because they LOOK so good! It just looks kinda fancy, don’t you think?
They’re also not all that hard to make if you cook the chicken ahead of time. I put a tray of chicken thighs in my Instant Pot on high pressure for about 8-10 minutes depending on how much chicken I’m making that day. Then I shred the chicken and allow it to cool before adding it to the cream cheese mixture. Or if I’ve cooked a bunch of chicken for a different dish, I just use the leftovers in this dish. Another great option is to use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Just take the meat off the bone and shred or cube it for this dish
Perhaps the final reason we love this dish is because they freeze fairly well. Take them out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator for a day. Reheating them in the oven (versus the microwave) helps retain the texture and is the method I recommend. Keep an eye on them and if necessary cover them with foil to avoid over-browning.
Nutrition
I usually list the nutritional benefits from our recipes, and I’ll admit that this recipe isn’t bursting with superfoods. There is protein from the chicken which helps build muscle. And there are onions which are awesomely healthful, but they are just a small portion of the overall dish. Since Dean is always trying to bulk up for sports and add calories to his diet, this dish is great for that. Mostly this dish is just yummy, and there is something to be said for that once in a while.
Chicken Rollups
Ingredients
Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (room temperature)
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 yellow onion minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt more or less, to taste
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or diced (or about 10 oz)
Wrap it up
- 2 tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
Sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth (1/2 cup reserved)
- 1-2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder (or 1-2 cubes chicken bouillon)
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cream or evaporated milk (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Combine the cream cheese, melted butter, minced onions, salt, and pepper using a wooden spoon. Incorporate the shredded or diced chicken.
- Divide the filling in half inside the bowl with a spoon. Divide each half in half until you have 16 equal sections of filling.
- Unroll one tube of the crescent dough and lay each triangle on a pan or large cutting board. (Leave the second tube sealed until you are finished with the first tube to preserve the moisture in the dough. A moist dough will help the bread crumbs adhere better.)
- Fill the first 8 triangles with a scoop of filling placed on the wide, large end of each triangle. Gently stretch the two points a little bit over the filling and roll up the triangle to the end of the long end point.
- Roll each piece in the bread crumbs, and lay on the baking sheet.
- Repeat the process with the second tube of crescent dough.
- Bake the rolls on a middle oven rack for 20-25 minutes or until nicely browned on top.
While the rolls are baking, make the sauce
- Put 1 ½ cups of chicken broth and 1-2 teaspoons of bouillon powder in a medium sauce pan on medium-high heat.
- Add the cornstarch to the remaining ½ cup of room-temperature broth and stir to dissolve. The cornstarch will only dissolve well if the broth is cold or room-temperature, not hot.
- When the saucepan of broth starts to boil, slowly add the dissolved corn starch to the boiling broth while stirring.
- Bring the broth to a boil again, then reduce the heat to low. The sauce should now be thickened. Add the optional cream or milk.
- Using a spoon, taste a spoonful of cooled sauce to be sure it has the amount of chicken flavor you like. You may add more bouillon powder if needed, just boil and stir it again to dissolve the powder fully.
Serving
- Serve the chicken rollups with rice and steamed carrots or other vegetables on the side, and the sauce drizzled on top.