Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

Crescent rolls have long been a favorite in our house. Flaky and delicious, and easy to make, they easily take an average dinner from a humdrum to fantastic. It only makes sense that rather than simply eating them as a side dish, clever home cooks started finding new and inventive ways to enjoy them that actually improve on the original. Naturally, something like this Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole had to be invented, and I’m so glad it was.

This recipe is easy to make completely from scratch, but if you happen to have leftover chicken on hand — especially if that leftover is rotisserie chicken — this recipe gets even easier and faster to prepare. One good strategy when you’re cooking chicken for one dish is just to cook a little extra to use the next night in recipes like this one. If you’re the sort who keeps crescent rolls in the fridge like I am, this is essentially something you can make with ingredients on hand.

If you don’t have leftover chicken, this recipe gives you a quick and easy pan-fried chicken breast method. I try not to obsess about shredding the chicken. Generally, I just tackle the cooked chicken breasts with a fork in each hand and shred a bit, then go in with a chef’s knife to do a bit more chopping. I have friends who swear by using a hand mixer and letting the beaters do the work schredding the chicken. You do it your way! (And if you’re not sure how, check out some Youtube chicken shredding tutorials.)

I love to involve the kids in cooking dinner whenever possible and this is one of those recipes that has a couple of easy tasks that can really empower even younger grade school children to feel like they’re really helping put dinner on the table without much extra fuss. If you’re a multi-kid household, just put one in charge of opening cans and mixing up the soup mixture and the other in charge of rolling up the crescent rolls. They’ll be able to easily see how their hard work paid off with the finished product, and they’ll enjoy eating it!

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

3.6 from 313 votes

Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

• 2 packages (8 ounce) crescent rolls

• 2 cans (10.75 ounce) cream of chicken soup

• 2 cups (10oz box) frozen broccoli

• 1 cup chicken broth or stock

• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon (optional) white wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C). Grease 9×13-inch baking dish.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of chicken breasts. Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in skillet, 5-7 minutes per side, until chicken is no longer pink in middle and juices run clear or until it reaches an internal temperature of 180° F (82° C). Shred chicken.
• Open crescent roll packages. Unroll individual crescent rolls and divide into triangles.
• Evenly divide shredded chicken over crescent roll triangles. Roll triangles, beginning with the wider end, around chicken. Arrange rolls on greased baking dish, seam sides down.
• Add broccoli to baking dish, tucking into crevices between crescent rolls.
• Combine cream of chicken soup, chicken broth or stock, (optional) vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, and Cheddar cheese in a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste. Pour soup mixture over crescent rolls and broccoli.
• Bake in preheated oven until sauce bubbles and crescent rolls are cooked and golden brown. About 45-50 minutes.

Notes

• For a lower sodium version, use low sodium versions of cream of chicken and chicken broth or stock. Consider substituting low sodium seasoning for salt and pepper.
• Frozen vegetables can be omitted altogether. Adjust cooking time down 5-10 minutes.
• Other frozen vegetables can be substituted for broccoli. Frozen cauliflower, frozen peas, or frozen green beans can work.
• Milk can be substituted for chicken broth or stock. Cooking time may need to increase.
• For more flavor, try different cheeses like sharp cheddar cheese or shredded swiss.

This recipe is very versatile and easy to tweak to your tastes. You could certainly substitute the recipe’s seasoning mix for your favorite seasonings or seasoning salts. There are also a lot of substitute possibilities for the “cream of” soup — cream of broccoli, cream of celery, or cream of mushroom all have great potential in this recipe. The cheeses are also another great place to experiment, you could try anything from gouda to parmesan!