Hello Strangers! I know, I know it's been too long. Life got extremely crazy there for a couple of weeks. My semesters are 6 months long and I am at the very end of my fall semester as we speak. That's been loads of fun... Also, I'm officially an Aunt! My beautiful sister gave birth to a perfect little baby girl on October 27th. I have never loved someone I just met as much as I do her. Marlee Jade is her name. Sweet, huh? Just for good measure, here's a picture. I mean, who doesn't love baby pictures right?!
Ahh! I just want to squeeze her through the screen!
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Anyways, I digress. (Which is easy when you are a new Aunt.)
Regardless of how long I've been gone and what I've been doing, I'm Baaack and I brought an awesome recipe with me! My first one at that. With that being said, I'm going to give you a little background info on my "cooking style" and why I think it's even significant enough to bore you with said recipes.
I like to take common, everyday, traditional recipes and turn them into something "gourmet." (I use that term very loosely here, I in no way claim to be fancy!) This is my style for both cooking and baking. I also like to try to make boring, unhealthy recipes healthier!
My point: These recipes are originals that I have measured, tried, and mastered before sharing them with you. I take great pride in them so please, feel free to use, share, and brag but remember to give credit where credit is due.
Okay, no more boring mumbo jumbo, you all came here for a recipe.
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This recipe is a staple in our home. Christopher loves it and family members and friends have reached out for the recipe. I make it at least once every two weeks and could probably get away with making it everyday if I really wanted to. It is very cheap, fairly quick and painless, and can be customized to your liking. Be aware though, when I said earlier that I like to make healthier options, this one is far from healthy. Probably why it is so delicious!
The original idea for this recipe came from the back of a Campbell's Soup Can. My Mema saved it and used to make it for us grand kids. The original recipe was very basic and cooked like a casserole, pouring all ingredients into a dish and baking together. My modifications for this one actually happened slowly over time. I started by decomposing the casserole and cooking the rolls and soup separately, and then I evolved the rolls themselves.
First things first, gathering your ingredients:
Everything here is pretty common and very reasonably priced. You will need:
- Step 1, boil your chicken. I took pictures of this and thought "why do they need to know how to boil chicken?" Nothing special here folks, just boil it until it's cooked all the way through. Once it's boiled, drain it and shred it. (I almost always have Christopher shred my chicken if he is home. He's so much faster. Credit where credit is due, remember?)
So we have our yummy chicken and cheese mixture all ready to go. Next we need to prepare our baking sheet with some cooking spray. Most crescent roll packaging directions suggest not greasing your cookie sheet. I am not sure if it is because the crescents are so light and airy when cooked normally, but for this recipe I ALWAYS oil my cookie sheet. Just makes for easier clean up and you don't run the risk of your rolls being ruined from sticking to the pan.
Alright, this is my least favorite part about making this dinner; the dreaded opening of the crescent roll cans. Once again, if Christopher is home I usually have him do it for me. You all are starting to see why I keep him around, huh?! To do all the scary, dirty, mundane tasks for me. He always gives me a hard time, but just shakes his head and opens them anyway. It's like the whole ripping the band-aid off. I just can't force myself to apply the needed amount of pressure knowing it's just going to pop in my face! UGH! I don't even like talking about it, so let's move on quickly.
Your (annoying) cans are open and your sheet is greased. Next: Chicken & Cheese Rolls, ASSEM-BLE!
Lay out each crescent roll triangle as if you were just making the rolls normally. I usually just lay them out on my cookie sheet and work from there. You can also use a cutting board or your counter, but just be aware that the dough can cause a small sticky mess. Flour can be placed on your surface (other than a cookie sheet) to protect it. I wouldn't recommend this route though, the flour could change the consistency of the rolls.
There is another variable option here. I usually use 2 cans of crescent rolls, in order to make a total of 16 rolls. They are smaller, however I find that the consistency is better when cooked. If you'd prefer though, you can use one can of crescent rolls, totaling 8 rolls, and make them bigger.
Scoop the chicken and cheese mixture out of the bowl and place on the larger end of the flat crescent roll. If you are using 2 packages of rolls, scoop 1-1½ tbsp scoop, if you are only using 1 package of rolls, scoop 2-2½ tbsp of mix. Once the mix is cleanly in place, roll the crescents up like you would if you were just making them normally, paying attention to the corners to make sure that all of the mixture is enclosed in the crescent roll. This is very hard to put into words, however is very self-explanatory. Don't over think it. You may need to fold corners in, that is totally fine. Once all the rolls are nice and pretty on your cookie sheet, brush the tops with the melted butter. It doesn't take much at all. Don't drench them, just simply brush a little on the tip-top.
Alright, this is my least favorite part about making this dinner; the dreaded opening of the crescent roll cans. Once again, if Christopher is home I usually have him do it for me. You all are starting to see why I keep him around, huh?! To do all the scary, dirty, mundane tasks for me. He always gives me a hard time, but just shakes his head and opens them anyway. It's like the whole ripping the band-aid off. I just can't force myself to apply the needed amount of pressure knowing it's just going to pop in my face! UGH! I don't even like talking about it, so let's move on quickly.
Your (annoying) cans are open and your sheet is greased. Next: Chicken & Cheese Rolls, ASSEM-BLE!
Lay out each crescent roll triangle as if you were just making the rolls normally. I usually just lay them out on my cookie sheet and work from there. You can also use a cutting board or your counter, but just be aware that the dough can cause a small sticky mess. Flour can be placed on your surface (other than a cookie sheet) to protect it. I wouldn't recommend this route though, the flour could change the consistency of the rolls.
There is another variable option here. I usually use 2 cans of crescent rolls, in order to make a total of 16 rolls. They are smaller, however I find that the consistency is better when cooked. If you'd prefer though, you can use one can of crescent rolls, totaling 8 rolls, and make them bigger.
Scoop the chicken and cheese mixture out of the bowl and place on the larger end of the flat crescent roll. If you are using 2 packages of rolls, scoop 1-1½ tbsp scoop, if you are only using 1 package of rolls, scoop 2-2½ tbsp of mix. Once the mix is cleanly in place, roll the crescents up like you would if you were just making them normally, paying attention to the corners to make sure that all of the mixture is enclosed in the crescent roll. This is very hard to put into words, however is very self-explanatory. Don't over think it. You may need to fold corners in, that is totally fine. Once all the rolls are nice and pretty on your cookie sheet, brush the tops with the melted butter. It doesn't take much at all. Don't drench them, just simply brush a little on the tip-top.
You're officially ready to bake! Pop them suckers in your preheated oven for 11-13 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Don't over cook them! They will harden up a little bit on their own when you take them out of the oven. Here is what the roll-ups look like when they're all finished.
The final step, which happens while your little roll-ups are in the oven, is making the topping. This is where your Cream of Chicken soup comes into play. Place the soup in a large pot, on the oven, over med-high heat. You will need to pay very close attention to the soup. Anyone who has ever cooked soup knows that it doesn't take much to make a huge mess. If it starts to bubble and pop too much on you just turn your heat down a little at a time. I usually let the soup warm for just a couple of minutes before I start adding my milk. The amount of milk you use will depend on the consistency that you want your sauce. I usually use somewhere right in the middle to upper range of the suggested 1/2-1 cup of milk. It changes every time though depending on the soup. Just gauge it and use your best judgement. Proceed with caution though, you can always add milk, but you can't take it away. slow and steady wins the race! Also, keep in mind that as the mixture warms it will thin itself out. You are trying to achieve the consistency of gravy.
Left: Soup by itself. Right: Soup and milk finished product.
Once your sauce is done and your rolls are done There is only one thing left to do. Cover those rolls with sauce and enjoy! I hope you and your family love this recipe as much as we do!
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