Chicken Pillows With Creamy Parmesan (Printable)
Tender chicken in flaky crescent dough topped with rich parmesan sauce
# What goes in:
→ Chicken Pillows
01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
02 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
03 - 2 green onions, finely chopped
04 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
06 - Salt and black pepper to taste
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
08 - 1 can (8 pieces) refrigerated crescent roll dough
09 - 1 tablespoon butter, melted
→ Creamy Parmesan Sauce
10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
11 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
12 - 1 1/2 cups whole milk
13 - 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
16 - Pinch of nutmeg
17 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
02 - In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked chicken, softened cream cheese, green onions, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
03 - Unroll the crescent dough and separate into 8 triangles. Spoon an equal portion of the chicken mixture onto the wide end of each triangle.
04 - Roll each triangle up from the wide end toward the point, tucking in the sides to seal the filling inside and form a neat pillow shape.
05 - Place the pillows seam-side down on the prepared baking tray. Brush the tops generously with melted butter for a golden finish.
06 - Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the pillows are golden brown and cooked through.
07 - While the pillows bake, melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk continuously for 1 minute to form a roux.
08 - Gradually pour in the whole milk while whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Continue cooking and whisking for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
09 - Remove the saucepan from heat. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg until smooth and creamy. Fold in the chopped parsley.
10 - Arrange the warm chicken pillows on plates and spoon the creamy Parmesan sauce generously over the top. Serve immediately.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The crescent dough does all the heavy lifting, making you look like you spent hours when you barely broke a sweat.
- That parmesan sauce is the kind of thing you will want to put on everything from pasta to crusty bread to a spoon.
02 -
- Do not overstuff the crescent triangles or the filling will burst out during baking and leave you with a mess on your tray.
- Adding the cheese off the heat prevents it from separating and turning oily, which was a mistake I made the first three times.
03 -
- Wet your hands slightly when shaping the pillows because damp hands prevent the dough from sticking and tearing.
- The single biggest improvement you can make is using a microplane to grate your parmesan directly into the hot sauce so it melts instantly.