Chicken Pillows

If you ask my kids what their favorite homemade dinner is, they are likely to say chicken pillows! I am willing to bet that you have never heard of chicken pillows before, so let me introduce you to an easy weeknight dinner that is a crowd pleaser!

This recipe is made with easy to make items so it comes together relatively quick. This recipe is also really flexible, which I love! Can't find chicken flavored rice? Throw in some broccoli cheddar instead! Have a random 1/4 cup of leftover corn? Throw it in the chicken pillows! Feel like you need to hide veggies to get your kids to eat them? Grate some carrots or mince some broccoli and stir it on in (they'll never know!).

This recipe is loosely based on Life in the Lofthouse's recipe.

To make chicken pillows, you will need:

- (2-ish) 8 oz cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

- (1) 0.87 oz packet McCormick chicken gravy

- (1) 10.5 oz can cream of chicken soup

- (1) 5.7 oz package Knorr Rice Sides, Chicken Flavor (cooked)

- 2 cups shredded chicken

- 4 oz softened cream cheese

Chicken pillows are a great weeknight dinner because you can have all the things on hand so it's just a matter of assembling and baking. Plus you can add in whatever random leftover veggies you have in the fridge to use up!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

You'll need 2 cups of cooked shredded chicken. You can cook up some chicken or grab a rotisserie chicken from the store. Shred it and add to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle bit. (No stand mixer? This is one of those recipes you don't need really need one for but if you have a stand mixer, you might as well use it!)

Cook one package of flavored rice according to package directions. You can use any flavor you'd like! I usually use chicken or broccoli cheddar flavor. Let the rice cool. You can even cook the rice the day before to make chicken pillow day even easier.

TIP: Make sure the rice is cool before adding it to the crescent rolls or it will melt the butter in the dough and you'll have a disaster on your hands.

Add the rice to the mixer and then add in 4 oz of softened cream cheese,1/3 of the can of chicken soup and whatever seasonings you'd like. Give the ingredients a good whirl with the mixer to mix it all up.

Unroll the crescent roll sheets and gently pull crescent rolls into triangles along the perforations. Scoop 1/4 cup of the filling mix to the wide end of a crescent roll. This part is a little tricky... pull the dough around the mix to form a ball. Bring one end of the triangle across to the middle of the triangle and pinch it to the opposite edge. Next grab the next corner and bring it up to the side of the first piece. Finally bring the last across the middle. Pinch all the seams then gently roll the pillow to form a ball. Make sure to look over the little pillow you just created and double check that the seams are all sealed well.

Depending on how much stuffing you put in your pillows, you may have a few crescent rolls left over. I typically have 3 rolls left over which you can roll up and have as regular crescent rolls or use for another recipe.

Place the pillows on a baking sheet and leave about an inch between. Bake for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the crescent rolls are browned.

While the pillows are baking, mix up the gravy. Add 1 packet of gravy mix, 1 cup of water and the rest of the can of cream of chicken soup to a small saucepan. Mix well with a whisk and heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until the pillows are ready.

Once pillows are browned on the outside, remove them from baking sheet and serve immediately.

Great side choices: mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli, salad... whatever your favorites are!

Store leftover pillows in the fridge. These reheat great in an air fryer at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes, or throw them in the oven again for a few minutes to crisp up.

In case you're wondering, I have no idea why they are called chicken pillows. I've also heard them called chicken pockets, but chicken pillows is certainly more fun to say!

I hope you will give these a try! They're sure to be your family's next favorite too!