I first made this recipe, Cream Cheese Chicken Croissants or Chicken Stuffed Crescent Rolls years and years ago when my now 25 year old son was little. Now this recipe has reached more than 2 million viewers and growing daily.
He devoured them and still will regularly ask to have them for dinner secretly hoping there will be leftovers so he can eat one for lunch the next day. I keep these ingredients on hand as my "go to" recipe when ever I'm in a pinch. To say we LOVE them, is putting it mildly, they are truly a family favorite!
Cream Cheese Chicken stuffed in a flakey Pillsbury Croissant has become a stable recipe in our home. It's tried tested and true. There are many Pillsbury crescent roll recipes with chicken but trust me, this one is the BEST.
This recipe has been updated as of October 2019
This recipe has become a tried and true favorite over the years and we will continue to share this recipe of Cream Cheese Chicken Croissants to all those to come into our home. That’s all I need as a mom to know it’s a good recipe.
I make this Chicken Salad with Cream Cheese recipe using Shredded Chicken, which I make in my Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker. The recipe is super simple, and I can throw together and walk away. However, in a pinch I you can also used canned chicken too. It's a lifesaver when you need a quick delicious meal.
Preparing the rest only takes minutes after a long day and Dinner is quickly on the table.
Don't worry if you don't have shredded chicken ready. You can quickly cook some up, or in a pinch used Canned Chicken Breast or cut up Rotisserie Chicken.
Ingredients in Baked Cream Cheese Chicken Croissants?
- 2 Cans Pillsbury Croissant Biscuits ~ Or any store brand works too
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 2 Cups Shredded Chicken ~ Psst, even canned chicken will work in a pinch
- 2 Tbs Milk
- 1 Bunch Diced Green Onions
- ¼ Cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- and Pepper to Taste
Additional Add Ins
What's. recipe without an add in right? So here are some of our FAVORITE Add ins for Cream Cheese Chicken Croissants.
- Peas, frozen of course. Just rinse and throw in to mixture about ¼ cup is perfect
- Bacon Crumbles. Did your mouth just start to salivate? Oh it's good!
- Cheese. Mozzarella, Cheddar, or even Parmesan. Add some extra Cheese.
- Celery. Celery gives texture and a little crunch. It's good. Try it!
- Bell Pepper. I know, the recipe has bell pepper all ready but why not switch it up with a Red or yellow Bell Pepper. Try it!
With simple ingredients the Chicken Cream Cheese Croissants are the type of recipes my boys have taken with them to college.
Nothing like a little bit of home with a recipe they can handle with their busy college lives.
The each have learned to modify this recipe to their tastes too. It’s wonderful to see them growing in the kitchen and learning how to cook.
How to make Stuffed Crescent Roll Recipe with Cream Cheese Chicken?
I buy the refrigerated canned croissants. These have 8 croissants in each can.
However, when you unroll the dough there are cuts to separate the dough and you will need to pinch the seams together with your fingers to create 4 rectangles per can.
This recipe can easily be halved if you only wish to make 4 Chicken Cream Cheese Croissants at a time.
Please note, my cutting board will only hold 3 rectangles at time, but rest assured you can make 4 of these babies at once.
Once you have your seams pinched together you can place a heaping ¼ cup of mixture on the center of each croissant.
It can seem like it’s a lot and might spill out but I’ve never had that problem. So fill them up.
Then just bring the corners together and pinch to top so they stay closed. I only pinch at the top and leave the little pockets on each side open. It’s cute that way and nothing spills out.
To make that wonderful additional flaky crust on the croissant, take a whisked egg and brush it on before you bake. This of course is optional.
It’s amazing what this little additional effort makes to the texture and flavor of this dish. Yum! Who wouldn’t love the Chicken Cream Cheese Croissants? I’m ready for one now.
Forget the croissants and use this filling inside of a tortilla making a quesadilla. It's Delish! I do like to add some parmesan cheese on top.
You sure can! For this recipe use 2 cans of chicken. You can also use a cut up Rotisserie Chicken and believe it or not, leftover Turkey is also great too!
Typically I don't recommend freezing dairy products. For this recipe I would not recommend freezing once you have the filling made. However, cooking chicken to make shredded chicken takes the longest and I do make this ahead all the time and freeze it. Works perfectly!
Of course you can. Slice open your croissants and spread a nice layer of Chicken Cream Cheese inside. I would still recommend heating this up as the filling is definitely better warm.
I like to reheat these one at a time in my Microwave or using an Air Fryer.
Yes you can. You can make the filling ahead of time up to 4 day if properly stored in your refrigerator.
Of course eating Cream Cheese Chicken Croissants are good, but a viewer asked what other recipe ideas could be made with crescent rolls. I was up for the challenge and here are a few of our other favorites too!
- Easy Philly Cheesesteak Croissants
- Crescent Ring Stuffed with Leftover Turkey
- Chicken Parmesan Croissant Sandwiches
More Family Favorite Recipes
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Stove Top Meatloaf
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
- Fry Bread
- Instant Pot Breakfast
- Turkey Tetrazini
- Dorito Taco Salad
- Chicken Carbonara
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe
- Candied Carrots
- Navajo Tacos
- Instant Pot Pulled Chicken ~ Easy Meal Prep
- Bacon Herbed Green Beans
Chicken Cream Cheese Croissants
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Shredded Chicken - See Recipe Below
- 2 Pop Cans Croissants
- 1 8oz Cream Cheese - softened
- 1 bunch Green Onions
- ¼ cup Bell Pepper - Chopped and diced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Butter - softened
- 2 tablespoon Milk
- 1 Egg - *optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees
- In a bowl mix cream cheese and butter, until blended. Add milk. Mixture will be chunky if cream cheese is not softened. It's okay. Add in shredded chicken, diced green onions, diced green bell pepper, salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
- On a cutting board, unroll one tube of Croissants. They are all precut, so with your fingers pinch together the cut lines. You will be make 4 rectangles out of the 8 croissants. See Photo
- One each rectangle place ¼ cup of mixture in the center of the croissant and bring corners together and pinch to close.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg and brush egg over each croissant. (Optional)
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.
How to make Shredded Chicken
- Place 1 Cup water or Chicken Broth in Bottom of Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- Place 2 Chicken Breasts in Instant Pot on Trivet
- Sprinkle Salt and Pepper over Chicken Breasts
- Sprinkle crushed garlic on chicken
- Close Instant Pot Lid and check to make sure pressure valve is closed
- Set on Manual (Presser Cook) High for 18 minutes
- Allow a 20 minute Natural Release
- Remove Chicken Breasts and one at a time shred chicken with forks
- Use in a meal, or package and freeze for later use
Notes
Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
Angel
I've made this twice now and really enjoyed it! I found some crescent rolls on clearance, but didn't want to go the standard route with them. I made some changes I thought I'd share on case they'd be useful. you can use canned chicken for this recipe. two 12.0 oz cans or just one per tube, which is what I did for my small family. a small can of green chilies worked instead of the peppers since I didn't have fresh. I appreciated that this recipe is pretty adaptable and I've got it saved for future use!
Chelsey
These are delicious! I ended up using onion and chive cream cheese and it turned out wonderful! Can’t wait to have them again.
Thayne
love this recipe for years now. we also cook a can of cream of chicken soup, diluted with milk and seasoned with oregano and thyme boiled down to the right consistency then used as a gravy. adds a little more flavor.
Amy Main
I have made this twice and it has been a hit each time. Easy and delicious!
Devour Dinner
We love recipes that are always a hit! So happy you loved them too
Santay
Mighty tasty for such a quick and easy dish. I made these with canned chicken, adding in some shredded Monterrey Jack cheese; I didn't expect anything great. They were good enough that I plan to serve them at a neighborhood get-together next week. Thanks for the recipe.
Devour Dinner
Hi Sanatay,
I'm so happy you loved this recipe. It is simple but can be dressed up in many ways and everyone always loves them too. I hope the neighborhood enjoys them like you have.