Chicken Packets

This recipe is tried and true (slightly modified) from Emily, my sister-in law's mother, Sandy.  Emily, grew up having these Chicken Packets for dinner and introduced me to them a few years ago.  Back when her twin girls, were babies FOUR years ago now, I would visit every Wednesday.  Emily, being the super woman that she is, would make a delicious dinner and we would all hang out while my brother would play basketball.  This recipe is one of the delicious meals she would make.  

Since I am now too a mom, I figured I should probably try my hand at this recipe.  Seems like something a mom should do.  I have been prepping dinner during Addison's second morning nap and then finishing things closer to dinner-time.  It has worked out well and puts less pressure on getting things ready for dinner.  

This recipe is perfect for our schedule.  While the chicken was baking I set the cream cheese out on the counter to soften/come to room temp.  Once the chicken was done, I combined things and popped that concoction in the fridge until I got the call that my husband was on his way home from work.  Then I assembled everything, baked them up and devoured just before the baby needed to have her dinner.  

Here is how I did it...

 I started out by baking the chicken.  This is my go-to method when I need to use cooked chicken.  It is so easy and it doesn't leave any hard bits on the chicken like grilling/sautéing does.  Just season the chicken and pop it in the oven for 30 mins. Easy.

 Done.

 Once the chicken cooled just a bit, I shredded/chopped it up and placed it in a bowl.

 Chopped the celery

 Popped the cream cheese into the bowl over the warm chicken

 Added the celery

 A little onion powder

 Salt

 Pepper

 And combined things.  It does take a little bit of elbow grease to mix things up.  At this point I tasted it, added a little more onion power and salt.  Season it to your liking.

 I then placed the crescent rolls out on a baking sheet like so, keeping two of the rolls together.

 I smooshed the perforation together with my fingers.

 Scooped a good amount of the chicken mixture onto one side of the dough

 Flipped over the other side and sealed the packet edges together, using my fingers.

 Rolled the packet in seasoned bread crumbs and popped them back onto the baking sheet.  Into the oven they went for 17 minutes.

 They came out perfect…just like this.

I LOVE these things.  So flaky and delicious with a creamy texture in the middle.  A few dashes of buffalo sauce on the top and they are perfection.

Just a little side note, when I made these I had quite a bit of left over filling.  This recipe can make 8 packets but there was only two of us eating and we each ate two.  They do not reheat very well so I saved the filling and made a quick pasta with it.  I just cooked some noodles, drained them and then added the remaining chicken mixture over the hot noodles.  Gave it a very good stir, added a bit of milk and had a quick and tasty pasta dish the next day!

I told Emily about my noodle dish the next day and she said that she typically eats the filling on a croissant the following day for lunch.  The possibilities are just endless with this recipe people!

Chicken Packets 
(Makes 8 packets or 4 with leftover filling)

3 chicken breasts
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 8 oz block of celery (1/3 the fat is okay)
2 rolls of refrigerated croissants (or 1 if you are using the filling for left overs also, reduced fat is okay!)
1/8-1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
Buffalo sauce for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts in a large baking dish and season with salt and pepper.  Once the oven is preheated, bake chicken for 30 minutes with a cover on the dish.  Take the cream cheese out of the fridge and put it on the counter to come to room temp.  After 30 minutes, cut through the biggest part of the chicken and check that it is no longer pink in the middle.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the dish and shred.  It is easier to shred when it is still warm.  Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the cream cheese, celery, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Stir to fully combine.  Once combined, taste for seasoning.  Add more onion power, salt and pepper, if needed.

On a large baking sheet (or two if you are making 8 packets), separate the dough into 4 rectangles (or 8 if you are making a full batch).  Press the perforation together with your fingers.  Scoop a good amount of the chicken mixture onto half of each piece of dough staying away from the edges.  Flip the other side of the dough over the filling and press the dough together to seal and make the packet.

Pour your bread crumbs onto a large plate and flip and gently press each packet into the bread crumbs to coat.  Place the bread crumb coated packets on to the baking sheet and into the oven.

Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until the packets are golden brown.

Serve with a drizzle of buffalo sauce if you would like.

Enjoy!

Recipe very slightly adapted from Sandy :)