Chicken Bundles
“Nostalgia is truly one of the great human weaknesses... second only to the neck.”
This blog post was originally posted on The Lore.
Being an adult is hard. Life gets vastly more complicated and responsibilities seem endless. Sometimes the only cure for the aches and pains of adulthood is enjoying a favorite childhood meal. Chicken Bundles is that meal for me. My grandma made them for my mom, my mom made them for my sister and I, and I hope to one day make them for my kids.
While I can’t imagine my grandma was the first person ever to wrap a creamy chicken mixture in crescent roll dough, Chicken Bundles feel like a true representation of my family’s midwest roots. It isn’t a complicated recipe. But they are simple, comforting, and nostalgic. I tend to make Chicken Bundles for myself when I’m longing for simpler times. I take my first bite of the pillowy soft little package and I’m immediately back to being ten-years old, sitting at the dinner table, after soccer practice, without a care in the world. It’s a wonderful mental vacation from the stresses of adulthood.
This recipe became even more special to me when my late grandma’s handwritten Chicken Bundles recipe card was passed down to me. And while I make a few modern updates to the original recipe, (sorry, Grandma) I still feel connected to her each time I make them. This recipe makes 6 well-filled bundles, which is plenty for my husband and I. If you need to feed more, it can be easily doubled or tripled. The crescent dough sheet can also be cut into 8 pieces instead of 6. I like to serve the Chicken Bundles with a fresh, bright and tangy salad to complete the meal.
Grandma Ruth’s Chicken Bundles with Arugula and Watercress Salad
INGREDIENTS:
For the Chicken Bundles
3 ounces softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons melted butter, divided
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces (see note below)
2 tablespoons chopped green onions or chives
2 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 package crescent roll dough sheet
½ cup crushed Panko breadcrumbs
For the Salad:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
3 light green celery stalks and leaves, taken from the heart
1 small shallot
½ bunch watercress, thick stems removed
½ box arugula
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the Chicken Bundles:
Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a cookie sheet.
Mix cream cheese, 2 tablespoons melted butter, chicken, green onions, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine.
Unwrap dough and lay flat on a cutting board. Cut the dough sheet into 6 even rectangles.
Divide the chicken mixture evenly among the 6 rectangles (about ¼ cup on each.)
Fold corners of the dough to meet in the center and seal edges.
Roll the top of each bundle in the remaining melted butter and then in the Panko breadcrumbs.
Bake with the sealed side down for 20 minutes on the prepared cookie sheet.
For the Salad:
In a large bowl, pour in the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Whisk together to combine into a vinaigrette.
Tear leaves off the celery stalks and add into the bowl.
Thinly slice the celery stalks and add to the bowl with the vinaigrette.
Peel the shallot and thinly slice into half-moons and add to the bowl.
Add the watercress and arugula to the bowl. If serving immediately, use tongs to mix salad ingredients together with the vinaigrette.
If serving later, leave uncombined and set in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes:
I normally use chicken breast meat for my Chicken Bundles - one pound of boneless skinless chicken tenderloins baked for 15 minutes at 425ºF yields around 2 cups. Shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey would also work great for this recipe.
If you can’t find crescent roll dough sheets, regular crescent roll dough will work fine. Just gently stretch the perforated pieces to create a seal around the chicken.
Panko breadcrumbs are one of my modern updates. You can swap regular breadcrumbs or crushed crouton crumbs.
The chicken mixture may be made ahead and frozen. Thaw before filling dough.
