Homemade Chicken Pillows – soft and tender roll dough stuffed with a creamy chicken filling, then baked to perfection. Sure to be a hit with everyone who tries them!
It has been a ca-razy week at our house. Between track meets, piano lessons, basketball practice, scouts, and baseball games, we have been running around like crazy. Dinner was sandwiches not once, but twice this week. And they were eaten on the run. Yikes!
As I was driving to and fro doing the mom thing, I was thinking that I really need to make up some freezer meals for days that are over the top crazy. If you’ve got any favorites that freeze well, feel free to leave a comment!
I’ve had this recipe for these on my computer for ages, and thought it was about time I shared it. If you live in Utah, you are probably familiar with Chicken Pillows. If not, you may have no idea what the heck they are. But you should, because they are super yummy!
Traditionally they are made with Crescent Roll dough and topped with sauce made from canned cream of chicken soup. That’s how I grew up on them, and it is delicious. I just wanted to come up with a homemade version.
But if you are having a week like mine, you can sub two cans of crescent rolls for the homemade dough, and use the canned soup. I won’t judge.
The traditional recipe just calls for chicken, cream cheese, and seasonings for the filling. But we like them with the celery and cashews. They add good flavor and a nice crunch!
I actually forgot to add the cashews when I made them one time, and my boys totally noticed. Which surprised me because usually they inhale things so quickly I’m not even sure their taste buds even register what they’re eating. 😉
If you want to be fancy, you can brush the rolls with melted butter and dip them in bread crumbs before baking.
HOMEMADE CHICKEN PILLOWS
Chicken Pillows
Creamy chicken mixture with celery and cashews baked inside yeast buns.
Ingredients
Filling:
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I use light)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 1 tsp dry minced onion
- 1/2 cup salted roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
Optional Sauce:
- 4 tsp butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/3 cup milk
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream (light or fat free works fine)
Instructions
- Prepare dough, cover, and set aside.
- For filling: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir till thoroughly combined.
- Break off a piece of your bread dough and roll it out into a circle (mine were about 5" across).
- Place a large scoop of filling in the center and wrap the dough up around it. Pinch the edges together to seal and place seam side down on a silpat lined or greased cookie sheet.
- Repeat for remaining dough and filling.
- Bake at 375° for about 20 minutes.
- To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the flour. Whisk in the milk, bouillon, salt, and Worcestershire. Cook and stir over medium heat till thick and bubbly.
- Boil for at least 1 minute to remove flour taste. Add cheese and sour cream and stir till melted. Serve with the chicken bundles.
Notes
My boys prefer to eat these without the sauce, so I usually don't make it. They make great leftovers and can be eaten like a sandwich if you like.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 146Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 358mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 9g
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Great recipe! Was so very moist! Think I will try adding some veggies to it next time.
I’ve added broccoli and peppers and it was tasty. I think any veggies would be good! 🙂
I made these tonight with what I had on hand (crescent rolls) and substituting 8 oz. of chive cream cheese for the regular (omitting the onion) I also left out the cashews. They were really good and I especially liked the sauce. Much better than a cream of chicken soup sauce. I will make these again and try the cashews next time.
Awesome!!! Made them tonight!!
So glad you liked them Melanie!
Oh my! I made these tonight and they were amazing!
Yay! Glad to hear that Marianne!
I have too. I just have to pin this to my recipes to try.
~Bliss~
I tried freezing your chicken pot pie filling and it was delicious… I made a double batch, froze half and just thawed and topped with a store bought pie crust, because I hate making homemade crust. It’s now one of my favorite freezer meals!
Yay, glad to hear it works. I’ve been meaning to try it but just haven’t gotten around to it. I have a hard enough time just making enough food to keep all 4 boys full, let alone preparing for future meals. LOL!