Tasty Kitchen is full of recipes that bring back memories from potlucks, parties and shindigs long past. As I was meandering through the Tasty Kitchen offerings, I found this recipe for Rosemary Chicken Pockets, submitted by Tasty Kitchen member, punkrebelmama. It reminded me of a recipe my mother used to make each year using leftover turkey. It’s a quick recipe, using simple ingredients. And the pockets would be a nice addition to a party spread, brunch or even dinner. Even though the original recipe calls for cooked chicken, I substituted leftover turkey from a turkey breast we just roasted.
Wanna see how easy it is?
You’ll need cooked turkey (or chicken), black pepper, poultry seasoning, seasoned salt, dried rosemary, cream cheese, and canned croissant dough. If you’re not a rosemary fan, you can easily substitute other seasonings or herbs. An Italian combo of herbs would be perfect.
Begin by softening the cream cheese in a bowl.
Add the seasonings.
Combine the seasonings and cream cheese well.
Next add the turkey (or chicken) and combine well.
On a baking sheet, unroll croissant dough triangles.
Place a dollop (about 1/4 cup) of filling onto each triangle and begin to fold the edges over the filling.
Close up like a pretty little package, pinching the sides shut to seal completely. The croissant dough will stretch quite a bit, so make sure you’ve sealed it up good and tight.
I wrapped each turkey pocket differently from the next. Here’s another pocket wrapping.
See? They all look completely different. I’m kinda random like that, but if you like uniformity, go for it.
Bake at 350°F as directed on the croissant package. Please note: I actually baked these for a few more minutes than directed, until they were just beginning to brown.
Here they are.
I like how they’re all unique. Look, the top right one looks like a peep, one of those marshmallow bird thingys. For such little effort, they look pretty fancy, huh? And tasty too!
A big thanks and virtual hug to punkrebelmama for submitting this one. Yum!
Printable Recipe
Print Options
Description
Easy, cheesy, impressive and simple! It’s the perfect brunch or party food. And you can adjust the amount more or less to taste!
Ingredients
- 1 package Cream Cheese (8 Ounces)
- 1 can (9 Oz. Size) Cooked Chicken Chunks
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Rosemary
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 dashes Salt (Preferably Seasoned Salt)
- 1 dash Poultry Seasoning
- 1 package (8 Oz. Size) Croissant Dough
Preparation Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Soften the cream cheese for easier mixing. Add the chicken and seasonings and mix well.
Unroll croissant dough triangles. Place a dollop of filling onto each triangle. Fold over edges and pinch shut to enclose completely. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining filling and croissant triangles.
Bake as directed on croissant package.
_______________________________________
Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.
60 Comments
Comments are closed for this recipe.
thelma on 12.26.2010
I made these on Christmas Eve with chicken and basil instead of rosemary. They were awesome. I ran out of crescent rolls so I used puffed pastry for the remaining chicken mixture and turned out great with the puff pastry. My brother gave me a recipe similar to this but he pressed one can of rolls together to make one sheet. Lay onto a cookie sheet; instead of chicken he used sausage , chives flavored cream cheese and topped it with another can of crescent rolls pressed together. Bake and cut into squares. Very tasty.
Meg on 12.26.2010
I just made these tonight for Christmas appetizer and they turned out really good! There were only five of us so I only made 8 of these. They were sooo good freshly made out of the oven. I had alot of chicken mix left over after making my batch so I am going to make some chicken salad sandwich tomorrow with these!
Thanks for the recipe!
Maureen Johns on 12.25.2010
I’ve been making something similar to this for years and call it “Chicken Crescent Bundles” – made with cooked diced chicken. It’s a huge family favorite!
Jane on 12.22.2010
Yum! Yum! Gotta make these…
Joycelyn on 12.22.2010
Just made these! They are fabulous! I used chicken and left out the rosemary. My husband and I can’t wait to try different variations! He’s already planning “chili” pockets for the deer lease! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Annie on 12.22.2010
I made these last night and rolled the dough out and cut it in half. I didn’t have poultry seasoning so I added garlic poweder and a little basil. I filled each one and folded them over to make two big servings. SOOOO GOOD!!!! We loved it and will definately make it again!!!
jp on 12.21.2010
I made these using Neufchatel (spelling?) cheese instead of cream cheese and it worked fine (for poster who wondered about a cream cheese sub). I used 1/2 the amount of Rosemary called for and it was almost too strong. This was an easy and tasty recipe!
Heather on 12.20.2010
I made these on Dec. 19, 2010 and they simply are delish! I’m planning on making several more batches – 2 for my work, 1 for my parents and 1 for my bf’s family. Yummy!
Cindy G. on 12.18.2010
These are awesome. Made them for dinner tonight and they were so good and so easy to put together. Thanks for sharing, this one’s a keeper.
marie on 12.18.2010
This reminds me of my “specialty”…Anything-Wrapped-In-A-Crescent-Roll.
My kids (grown) are amazed at my magic!
Ruth Yoder on 12.17.2010
I can’t wait to try this!! it looks sooo good!@
Kathy C. on 12.17.2010
I made these with chicken the other night since I had all the ingredients on hand. My husband ate a whole cookie sheet in one sitting…it was a definite hit. thanks!
paola on 12.17.2010
I’ve cooked it yesterday evening: DELICIOUS!!
Cathy on 12.16.2010
I’m thinking about a slight variation of this and subbing in some salmon and maybe a dash of curry instead of the rosemary….hmmmm….salmon and cream cheese and flaky dough….love!
cathy b @ brightbakes
rania223 on 12.16.2010
wow these look soo good.. I will be trying them..
Kolleen on 12.16.2010
Still Grandma’s Meatloaf–absolutely classic, perfect for a sandwich, the 100% sure way to show DH he’s loved. I think I’ll make some this weekend!
ajpl50 on 12.16.2010
Hard to pick but my husband enjoyed Oh So Easy Pot Roast. I work from home and contrary to what people think, you do not have more time to get things done around the house. You never escape the office. You are worried if you take a break and don’t answer the phone on the first ring, your co-workers will think you are goofing off. So making this meal is something I can fit in.
penguin on 12.16.2010
My husband and I make these all the time! We put two triangles together to make a square sandwich. We mix softened cream cheese with leftover rotisserie chicken and mix in spices. After folding them up (they are definitely imperfect squares), brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Such as easy entree.
lynnd on 12.16.2010
This has been one of my favorite recipes for decades. I use chicken and make them twice as big. I also dip them in butter and Italian bread crumbs before baking I make a gravy to go on top and call them Chicken Bundles. Yum.
PS. I want to enter your contest for the red ovens!! Thanks.
PSS. I loved the turkey brine recipe!! We used it for
Thanksgiving and it was our best turkey ever. We decided to do a repeat for Christmas!! Thank you so much for all you do.
Shakeyfan on 12.16.2010
I can’t wait to make the Cafe au Lait Pudding. Scrumptious!
Lindsey on 12.16.2010
I made these last night after reading about them yesterday…and they were fabulous! I used chicken instead of turkey (a blend of mostly white and some dark meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken I had leftover) and I added chopped shallots to the mix. So yummy! The shallots added a nice crunch (I mixed them in raw). The fiance says this must become a standard! Thanks!
Bonnie from Louisiana on 12.16.2010
Tried these last night, huge hit. I made the following changes / additions: since we are dark meat people, I took 2 chicken leg/thighs, boiled them till done, took the meat and cut it up. Added some frozen onion/celery/bell pepper mix that I had thawed in the microwave which kinda cooked it some so it was not raw. The 2 leg/thigh pieces gave me a tad more meat than just 9 oz called for in the recipe, so I ended up using 2 tubes of roasted garlic flavored crescent rolls, really made them tastey!. We ended up having left overs for next days lunch. My hubby really like it! Thanks for posting this tasty and quick recipe!
DessertForTwo on 12.15.2010
I absolutely love it when TK posts a great recipe step-by-step! It pushes it to the top of my ‘must make’ list! I always know it’s going to be 100% delicious! Thanks
Karen on 12.15.2010
This recipe is in my church cookbook. I have made it for years. My kids love it. We call it Chicken Puffs. In my version, you lightly brush the pastry with butter and sprinkle with crushed croutons and pecans. Yum!
cookincanuck on 12.15.2010
These are so darn cute! I love all of your different methods of folding the pockets – my kids would have great fun with that.
Janette on 12.15.2010
I have made these for years too, my kids call them “Chicken Puffs”. I also take a can of Cream of Chicken soup, add a little milk until it is a gravy consistency and then pour that on top of the Chicken Puffs. So yummy!
Sooz Hawkins on 12.15.2010
Oops hit send too soon. We call our Chicken Pillows and the sauce is a reduced can of cream of chicken or sometimes a cheesey type sauce.
Sooz Hawkins on 12.15.2010
Mmm I love this recipe. I think I posted this also, but mine are not nearly as gorgeous and I make a sauce that we drizzle over them. Delicious!
Christie McGetrick on 12.15.2010
This looks great – cannot wait to try it.
Virginia on 12.15.2010
This is so going to be a left over meal plan! I can’t wait! It looks delicious
SueDeeSue on 12.15.2010
Fabulous idea. I got so much turkey leftover I could make this recipe all year long.
KathyG on 12.15.2010
Reminds me of chicken (or turkey) p0t pie. It’s a family favorite. I like the ease of this recipe. Thx!
Becky J on 12.15.2010
Oops, make that ground beef! Brown the beef, drain most of the grease, add the cabbage and onion and stove-top it until done. Bake per the instructions on the dough container.
Becky J on 12.15.2010
Same concept – Runzas! Two lbs of round beef, 1 small shedded cabbage head (I cheat and buy 2 of the cole slaw 10 oz bags), one small onion diced/chopped, and salt/pepper to taste. I roll out the croissant dough to make the triangles larger. The filling and the runzas freeze REALLY well. I will for sure be trying this recipe!
Kristen Vineyard on 12.15.2010
for a quick snack and perfect for lunch for the kids, you can use this basic idea of Putting stuff in crecent roll dough….I put little bits of swiss cheese and ham, or cheddar and turkey, roll them up bake them. they make great little snack sandwiches. can be eaten cold or warm and they travel well. that dough is so versitile!
Helen on 12.15.2010
That looks so good! Something good to have on a cold night. Wait…tonght’s going to be cold.
Mary Connealy on 12.15.2010
I love anything with rosemary in it. Sucha great flavor
http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/
eclairway2heaven on 12.15.2010
I’ve made a recipe similar to this (I think it was one of Paula Deen’s) but instead of rosemary, it called for cumin. It was very tasty! I’m going to try it with rosemary asap.
Breck on 12.15.2010
Is there anything else you could as a binder for the filling? I know it sounds sacreligious, but I’m not a big cream cheese fan… Unless it’s cream cheese frosting. Then I’m in heaven.
Kris on 12.15.2010
I love these….they look like you spent a lot of time cooking but are so simple to make. These are a family favorite!
Laurie C on 12.15.2010
I obviously have to make this after I have my second Turkey day.
karengastler on 12.15.2010
I think I’ll make these on Monday, when some friends are coning over to try the cookie decorating that you posted on your blog. I was looking for something that would be appropriate for the weather, which changes about every 15 minutes down here in Houston!
Adele on 12.15.2010
We have been making these for years – and in fact, they are on my menu board for TONIGHT!
Our recipe differs slightly – we use lemon pepper for the seasoning, and roll the finished product in bread crumbs (typically italian flavored) before baking. I have started “streamlining” the filling process – I use the crescent rolls in rectangles (press the seam between the two triangles together), spread them with a thin-ish layer of filling, roll them up, and then cut each rectangle into four pieces – it gives it a cinnamon-roll look – then I dip them all in the bread crumbs. The recipe does call for butter before crumbs, but the crescent rolls are plenty greasy enough to keep the crumbs attached, no real need for the butter! We then serve them with a sauce made from cream of chicken soup mixed with some sour cream and maybe a bit more of the lemon pepper….always yummy! Thanks for the idea for the spice twist, will have to try it!
Eileen on 12.15.2010
Oh must make these… especially after Christmas which will be small in attendance minus the giant bird.
Erin Austin on 12.15.2010
We love these at our house but our seasoning tends to change depending on my whim. There are lots of simple variations that make these different each time. A slice of roma tomato on inside each pocket adds a whole new dimension of yumminess.
Kia on 12.15.2010
These look very tasty, will be giving them a go after christmas.
Just a note to let you know your blog has been linked as one of my top blogs.
http://blog.kia-glitz.com/?page_id=429
MOV on 12.15.2010
Looks good, but does not look “easy” (unless you substitute the words “pretty advanced/ fairly difficult” for “easy”, then you are right).
http://mothersofbrothersblog.blogspot.com
MOV
ps–remember this is the mother who put her son’s diaper on backwards for oh, the first 4 weeks of his life or so. Thanks for correcting me, mother-in-law.
MissTeach on 12.15.2010
My recipe for these calls for dry Ranch salad dressing mix to be added (no other spices). This is easy and SO good.
Kathleen Copeland on 12.15.2010
I wonder if you could use puff pastry instead of the crescent dough?
Trish Robinson on 12.15.2010
Looks yummy!