Recipe of the Week: Stuffed Chicken Pillows

I've seen several variations of this recipe. Using a combination of ideas, I came up with my own version earlier this week. HOLY. COW. These are good! Last night I made them again for some friends we had over, and they were just as delicious as we remembered them! It seemed no one could get enough. Try them out! They are so simple and yummy. Also a great way to use up left over Thanksgiving turkey!

Stuffed Chicken Pillows

Ingredients:

• 1 8oz. tube crescent rolls (8 ct.)
• 2/3 c. Stovetop stuffing, coarsely crushed
• 6 T. butter, melted

Filling ingredients:

• 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded/cubed (I seasoned with garlic salt and sage)
• 1 8oz. package cream cheese
• 4 T. butter, softened
• 1 T. fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 c. colby jack cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Combine filling ingredients and blend with hand mixer in large bowl.

In a pie dish or shallow bowl, combine melted butter and stuffing; mix until butter is absorbed.

Remove crescent rolls from tube and lay them out flat. Divide filling among crescent rolls, placing a dollop on the wide end, then roll them up, squeezing sides together as needed to ensure none of the filling escapes. :) Coat crescent rolls liberally with stuffing mixture and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until lightly brown.

While I haven't tried it, I read you can freeze these babies. I want to say you bake them at 275 for 10 minutes, cool and throw into freezer bags and freezer. Then when you're ready to eat them, just throw them onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Again, haven't tried it, but it seems like it would work just fine.

Misc.:

Some versions of this recipe call for bread crumbs rather than stuffing. Some don't call for ANY coating, but rather a cream of chicken gravy that you can pour over the top (can of cream of chicken soup diluted with milk). While my recipe above is the only way I've tried these, I'll have to say there's nothing I would change! They are amazing as is, and practically effortless to make!

I think the concept of using crescent rolls this way also opens the door to endless filling possibilities! If you wanted to go Italian, you could combine chicken or ground beef, chopped spinich, spaghetti and/or pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, and maybe a touch of cottage cheese. Or go Mexican with some taco meat, cheese, refried beans, salsa and sour cream. Gosh, you could even make these into a simple pastry dessert and fill them with fruit preserves and coat with sugar!