Chicken Pillows feature a delicious creamy chicken mixture stuffed in a buttery crescent roll and topped with seasoned breadcrumbs and gravy. There may be several recipes out there, but this one is the easiest ever.
Would you believe the first time I had chicken pillows was just a few years ago??
Just like the classic Hawaiian Haystacks sauce, I never ate chicken pillows growing up. It wasn’t until some friends invited us over to dinner and made these delicious chicken pockets that I discovered this tasty recipe.
I’ve made these several times now, and I’ve picked up several tips after a few failed attempts that will help you in the process.
This recipe works because it’s:
- Great for a crowd. The full recipe makes a lot so you’ll have plenty for a family dinner or potluck.
- Easy to freeze the leftovers. If you do have any pillows left, you can easily freeze them for a busy night or a friend who may need dinner.
- Creamy and delicious! The cream cheese filling and white gravy make this a tasty dinner that your kids will love!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and prepare 3 cups of chicken as desired (cubed or shredded).
Once your chicken is cooked, mix the chicken together with an 8-ounce package of cream cheese with chives and onion (starting with 4 ounces), 4 tablespoons of butter, and a dash of pepper in a large bowl. Stir until well combined.
Open an 8-ounce can of crescent rolls and form each crescent into a small square.
Place 1-2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the roll dough. Fold corners over the chicken to seal. Repeat with remaining roll dough.
Place pillows sealed side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush each pillow, using about 6 tablespoons of melted butter then top with 2/3 cup seasoned crumbs. Repeat with remaining crescent rolls.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.
For, the gravy, melt 2 tablespoons butter then add 2 tablespoons flour.
Whisk together and stir constantly until brown and no longer lumpy. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk. Stir until thick and ADD 1/2 chicken bouillon cube. Season with salt and pepper.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
While there are several ways to prepare the chicken, the easiest is to cook it in the Instant Pot and shred it before placing it in a bowl.
Or you can use leftover rotisserie chicken! I like to buy chickens from Costco. I pull all of the meat off, place it in freezer bags, and freeze it until I’m ready to use it.
The original recipe calls for 6 ounces of cream cheese, but they don’t sell that size anymore. I bought an 8-ounce container and started with 4 ounces. You can add more if you want the filling creamier and have a lot of chicken.
This makes a lot! I like to save 12-16 to have for a future dinner. I just cook them as directed and then lay them flat in a freezer-safe bag to freeze. To reheat, I pop them in the oven at 350 degrees until they are warm (about 10-12 minutes).
The Pillsbury crescents can be a little tricky to form into a rectangle. To help, take the cans out of the fridge just before you form the pillows, that way the dough is chilled. I like to fold the point of the triangle up to meet one of the base points and then use my fingers to fill in the gap. It’s much easier than trying to roll the dough out.
If you don’t want to fight with the dough and want bigger pillows, you can form two crescent rolls into a rectangle by pressing the seams together.
A little filling goes a long way! The crescent rolls are fairly small, so you won’t be able to stuff them full. I always buy 3 cans of rolls to make these chicken cream cheese crescent rolls because the filling makes a lot.
If you can’t find the cream cheese with chives and onion, you can make your own! Just use some regular cream cheese and add dried chives, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
The friend who introduced this recipe to me also adds some salad supreme seasoning to the gravy for a little extra flavor and it’s so good!
More Like This
Looking for more chicken recipes? You’ll love these!
- White Chicken Chili Recipe with Cream Cheese
- Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream White Sauce
- Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Bake
- Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Mayo
- Cheesy Chicken and Linguine Recipe
FAQs
Cream cheese is one of the key ingredients in this recipe, but if you can’t find it or don’t like the texture, try one of these substitutes for cream cheese:
-Marscapone cheese
-Cottage cheese
-Greek yogurt
-Sour cream
As you can see in the pictures, I love to have mashed potatoes with chicken pillows! Here are a few other side dish ideas:
–Broccoli salad
–Roasted sweet potatoes
–Squash casserole
-Green salad
-Fruit salad
–Honey skillet corn
I hope your family loves this chicken pillows recipe! If you make it, be sure to take a picture and tag me on Instagram with @ashcroftfamilytable and use the hashtag #ashcroftfamilytable.
And if you’d like to get a 4-week meal plan featuring my recipes, just enter your email in the form above and you’ll get it straight to your inbox!
The Easiest Chicken Pillows Ever
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken, about 2 chicken breasts worth
- 8 ounces cream cheese with chives and onion
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 24 ounces canned crescent rolls, 3 cans
- 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
- ⅔ cup seasoned bread crumbs
Gravy
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- ½ chicken bouillon cube
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine cooked chicken, 4 ounces of cream cheese (to start), 4 tablespoons of butter, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well and add more cream cheese as desired.
- Open can of rolls and form each crescent into a thin square. Place 1-2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the roll dough. Fold corners over the chicken to seal. Repeat with remaining roll dough.
- Place pillows sealed side down on a greased baking sheet. Brush each pillow with melted butter and top with seasoned crumbs.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown.
- While pillows are cooking, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Then add flour.
- Whisk together and stir constantly until brown and no longer lumpy (2-3 minutes).
- Slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk.
- Stir gravy until thick and then dissolve in chicken bouillon cube. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot pillows with gravy.