Crescent Chicken is a super simple, family-friendly chicken recipe.

looking at inside crescent chicken on white plate

This was one of the first recipes I ever made as a blooming cook back in college. The short list of easy-to-find ingredients and the use of refrigerated crescent rolls made it seem approachable. I found the recipe in a little chicken cookbook that my Mom had put in my Christmas stocking, but I’m pretty sure it originally came from Pillsbury.  It’s easy to make and it’s quite delicious. My son has asked for Crescent Chicken for dinner many times since I first made it for our family.

chicken filling for crescent chicken in glass bowl

How to make Crescent Chicken:

Begin by making the chicken filling. It’s a combination of cream cheese, butter, chopped cooked chicken, milk, onions and salt/pepper.

chicken filling inside of crescent dough

The crescent dough is popped out of the can, and then laid onto a work surface. Separate the dough into four rectangles. Each rectangle will have perforations with the purpose of separating them into two. You don’t want to do that, so you’ll press on the dough to seal those perforations. Then you’ll end up with four rectangles of crescent dough. The filling is divided between the dough, and then the dough is wrapped around the filling and pinched at the top to make little balls.

About refrigerated crescent:

Locate canned refrigerated crescent dough in your market in the same place you’d find canned refrigerated biscuits. You might be able to find crescent dough that is sold in one giant sheet instead of perforated pieces. If you use the giant sheet of crescent dough, you’ll just want to cut it into four equal rectangles.

brushing crescent chicken with butter

Each ball of chicken-stuffed crescent dough is brushed with melted butter.

dipping crescent chicken into breadcrumbs and then placed on baking sheet

And then the crescent chicken balls are rolled into breadcrumbs and placed on a baking sheet to bake. Since the chicken is already cooked, they just bake for a short time- about 20 minutes.

How to make your own breadcrumbs:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. Place 2 slices of torn-apart bread in a food processor and process it into crumbs. Then combine the breadcrumbs with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning and a sprinkle each of garlic powder and onion powder. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Give them a stir and bake for another 5 minutes. Check them at this point to make sure they’re dry and crisp. If not, give them a couple more minutes.

crescent chicken on baking sheet just out of oven

Here’s what the Crescent Chicken looks like when it comes out of the oven.

crescent chicken on white plate

To make it pretty on a serving plate, give it a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley.

looking at inside crescent chicken on white plate

When you break into the middle, you’ll find a piping hot, creamy chicken mixture inside. Serve with a side salad or your favorite vegetables. Enjoy!

Here are a few more chicken recipes you might like to try:

looking at inside croissant chicken on white plate
5 from 3 votes

Crescent Chicken

A totally delicious and super simple chicken dinner!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Ingredients

FILLING AND ROLLS:

TOPPING:

  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • ¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  • In a medium bowl, use a sturdy spoon to blend the cream cheese with 1 tablespoon butter until smooth. Stir in the chicken, milk, onions, salt and pepper.
  • On a work surface, separate the croissant dough into 4 rectangles- press the perforations to eliminate the seams. Spoon ½ cup of the chicken mixture onto the center of each rectangle. Pull the 4 corners of the dough to the top. Twist and seal to form a round ball.
  • Brush melted butter over each ball and then roll in breadcrumbs. Bake on an un-greased baking sheet for 20 to 25 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 584kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 1056mg, Potassium: 409mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 717IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 116mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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9 Comments

  1. Susan Thomas says:

    5 stars
    I’ve made this several times. This time, I sautéed the onions in the butter, then added the cream cheese, milk, salt and pepper. Folded in the chicken and 1/2 c frozen peas. Finished recipe as printed. Turned out very good! I do freeze leftovers. They reheat well

  2. Jessica Graven says:

    Can I make extra of these and freeze? If so, would it be best to freeze after baking or before? If freezing after baking, how would you recommend to reheat? Thanks!

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Because it’s a refrigerated croissant, I don’t know if freezing this one will work.

  3. CLAUDIA DAVIS says:

    Can we use crescent rolls? I’ve never seen croissant rolls in my supermarket. I’m nit sure if that is a regional product or not.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Yes! Same thing 🙂 thank you!

  4. Kathy Frederick says:

    These are fantastic. I always end up with more than the minimum required chicken; I had the Grands Croissants on hand which worked perfect. I tried sharing on Facebook but the main image is not working, it wants to grab the ads instead 🙁

  5. Savannah Beginnings says:

    This is delicious! It was so easy but looked like a dish that I had spent much more time on. Thanks again!

  6. Tara says:

    So super yummy! Love it, thanks again Recipe Girl!

  7. Jack says:

    I liked how the tanginess of the cream cheese disppeared leaving a unique, light cheesy flavor and kept the chicken moist! All the great taste of a chicken pot pie without the gooey mess!