Thursday, March 5, 2009

Chicken Squares


Here is a recipe from my husband's side of the family. As I may have mentioned before, my mother-in-law is an amazing cook. She found the inspiration for this recipe in a magazine when my husband was a baby. It's evolved over the years into a family favorite, which my husband made for me for the very first time this week. Let's just say, I'm a believer in Chicken Squares now. The crusty, flaky, buttery pastry opens to reveal a molten hot filling of creamy, cheesy, fragrant chicken. Be careful, because these little babies are additively good.



Chicken Squares

2 tubes of 6 Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 10-ounce can of chicken breast meat, drained
(note: 1 cup leftover cooked chicken, shredded, will also work)
8 ounces of cream cheese
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Dash of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Apply cooking spray to a large baking sheet and set aside.

Roll out the crescent dough and divide into rectangles, pinching the seam of the 2 triangles together to form oblong rectangles of dough.

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper, creaming the ingredients together.

Spoon a dollop of the chicken mixture onto one side of each crescent rectangle. Fold one end of the rectangle over the filling to form a square. Pinch the dough together around the edges to seal, and place the squares on prepared sheet.


Bake the chicken squares for 20-25 minutes or until the crescent rolls are golden brown. Serve immediatly with rice and peas. Yield 6-8 chicken squares.



(Or if you're like me and don't like peas, then you can have green beans instead!)



Edit/Update: I have gotten so much great feedback on this post, that I wanted to share with you some of the variations and ideas I've heard about from readers who have experimented with it!
  • adding bell peppers or other veggies to the filling
  • adding shredded Swiss cheese to the filling
  • adding ranch seasoning mix to the filling
  • adding fresh herbs to the filling
  • adding bleu cheese crumbles and Texas Pete Hot Sauce to the filling
  • using broken-up meatloaf and shredded sharp cheddar cheese as the filling
  • using taco-seasoned ground beef and Mexican cheese as the filling, serve with guacamole and sour cream
  • using ground beef hash as the filling, serve with ketchup
  • using ricotta, spinach, and chicken as the filling
  • using cheddar, ham, pineapple as the filling
  • using granny smith apple, cheddar, bacon as the filling
The possibilities are endless!!! I'd love to hear what else you come up with, dear readers - I love hearing from you when you've tried my recipes. I especially enjoy hearing about how each reader adds their own creative tweak to these recipes! Feel free to post comments or to email me!

12 comments:

Unknown said...

I think in your listing of ingredients you forgot the mention of the creamcheese, I got confused for a moment.. I shall be testing this baby out this weekend!

Carrie said...

YUMMY! These look and sound great I will be trying them soon!

Ellie said...

Thanks, tasha! That's what I get for trying to make hubby dictate the recipe to me - haha.

Deals, Steals and Heels said...

nate is going to DIE when i tell him i'm making these. this sounds like a perfect sunday dinner =)

Maryanna said...

These look so good.

gaga said...

Yum, those look fabulously delicious!

noellebrucki said...

these were soooooo yummy!!!

Unknown said...

wow i just made these for my family and they all loved them. great recipe

dpanupam said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown said...

Nicely designed site - can't wait to try the Whole Wheat Bread of your Dreams and the Irish Soda Bread!

Anonymous said...

Delicious! I made these tonight with the listed ingredients plus a little ranch seasoning. My husband and I loved it!

Emily said...

I have these chicken squares and your squash casserole in the oven right now! It smells wonderful. Thanks for all the great recipes, I love your blog.

 

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