These easy Chicken Broccoli Crescent Cups are a family friendly recipe perfect for a weeknight dinner. They’re made with leftover chicken, vegetables, Parmesan and a flakey crescent for a simple and delicious 30 minute meal.
Crescent Chicken Bites
When it comes to making an easy weeknight dinner for the family, you can almost never go wrong with a tube of Pillsbury Crescents and these Chicken Crescent Cups are no exception. From Hot Ham & Cheese Rollups to Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie Casserole, the possibilities are endless with crescents and they always add a flakey and filling element to any recipes.
Crescent Roll Recipe with Chicken
For these Chicken Broccoli Crescent Cups, I was inspired by my Mom’s traditional chicken crescent squares. I didn’t have the time to make them into nice little packages all sealed up nicely, so I took a shortcut and just plopped squares of crescents into a muffin tin and topped with the chicken salad mixture and some Parmesan cheese.
I could have stuck to the original chicken square recipe, but I wanted to sneak in some vegetables for my kids. Let’s be real, if I served broccoli on the side it would get pushed away and never eaten. By dicing up broccoli into small pieces and mixing it in with the cheesy chicken and flakey crescent bites, they had no choice but to dig in and eat it.
What other vegetables can I use?
If you have picky eaters who will turn their nose up at broccoli, you can try another vegetable that might be more agreeable with their palate. Here are just a few vegetables that would make a great substitution in these chicken crescents.
- Peas
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Zucchini
- Baby Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Sweet Corn
When it comes to adding vegetables to these chicken crescents, you will want to par-cook them before mixing them in with the cooked chicken and cheese. This is also a great opportunity to use up some leftover roasted broccoli to go along with some leftover rotisserie chicken.
Be sure to dice your vegetables into small pieces. Not only does this help make it harder for the kids to pick them out, it allows them to cook through entirely. Large chunks of vegetables will leave you with partially cooked veggies.
Chicken & Crescent Recipe
When it comes to making these easy Chicken Crescent Cups, you just need 30 minutes and the following ingredients.
- 1 tube Pillsbury crescents
- 2/3 cup broccoli florets
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 2 Tablespoons finely diced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups, cooked diced chicken
- 1 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
When it comes to crescents, I like to use the big and flakey ones, because more crescent always makes everything better! You can use the standard crescents as well.
This isn’t sponsored in any way, but I always stick to the Pillsbury brand. I’ve tried the off-brands trying to save a little money, but they aren’t nearly as good. They don’t have as good of a buttery flavor and aren’t as flakey. This is one of the few ingredients I do stick to name brand with.
How to make crescent cups
Time needed: 30 minutes
Preheat your oven to 350F and grab a muffin tin to get started.
- Make Crescent Squares
Open your tube of crescents and spread them out. Separate the crescents into 4 rectangles and press the diagonal seam on each rectangle together. Cut each rectangle in half so you have 8 squares.
- Prepare Chicken Salad
To a large microwave safe bowl add the broccoli, onion, salt, 2 tablespoons butter and 1 Tablespoon water. Microwave on high for 90 seconds. Add in the cream cheese, milk and garlic powder. Mix until well blended. Fold in the diced chicken and 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan.
- Fill Crescent Cups
Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and place one crescent square in each of 8 cups. Gently press the squares into the muffin tin so it covers the sides and bottom. Scoop 1/4 cup of chicken mixture into each cup. Top each with 2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan.
- Bake
Bake the crescent squares for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges of the crescent are golden brown. Carefully remove the crescent cups from the pan by running a butter knife around the edges. Serve immediately!
What to serve with chicken crescents
These crescent cups are a well rounded meal all on their own for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. If you want to add more vegetables to the side, here are a few recipes that would go great with chicken crescents.
- Air Fryer Carrot Fries– While we are busy tricking our kids into eating their vegetables, why not add these carrot fries to the list?!
- Cilantro Quinoa Corn Salad – Fresh crunch corn is paired with grains and tomatoes in a light cilantro lemon vinaigrette for a delicious side.
- Mandarin Orange Salad – This light and refreshing salad is the perfect side for so many meals.
Chicken Broccoli Crescent Cups
Ingredients
- 1 tube Pillsbury crescents
- 2/3 cup diced broccoli florets
- 2 Tablespoons butter melted
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 2 Tablespoons finely diced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 1 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Open your tube of crescents and spread them out. Separate the crescents into 4 rectangles and press the diagonal seam together on each rectangle. Cut each rectangle in half so you have 8 squares.
- To a large microwave safe bowl add the broccoli, onion, salt, 2 tablespoons butter and 1 Tablespoon water. Microwave on high for 90 seconds.
- Add in the cream cheese, milk and garlic powder. Mix until well blended. Fold in the diced chicken and 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan.
- Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and place one crescent square in each of 8 cups. Gently press the squares into the muffin tin so it covers the sides and bottom. Scoop 1/4 cup of chicken mixture into each cup. Top each with 2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan.
- Bake the crescent squares at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the crescent are golden brown. Carefully remove the crescent cups from the pan by running a butter knife around the edges. Serve immediately!
Malinda Linnebur says
Love these quick and easy chicken cups! The whole family loved them too!
Alison LaFortune says
My kiddos loved this dish! Easy for a weeknight and added extra veggies.
Coleen says
Was looking for a way to use up leftover chicken and stumbled upon this recipe. It was so good it’s going on our weekly meal rotation!
Julie says
Made this for a quick and easy dinner. It was delicious and kids didn’t complain about eating their veggies. Thanks for such a simple dinner idea!