Chicken Packets

We're kickin' it old school today. When the husband and I first got hitched a hundred years ago, I didn't know how to cook anything. Grilled cheese was a high class meal. (Wait. It still is. Anyway...) My BFF from high school came to the rescue when she shared one of her favorite simple dinner recipes with me, Chicken Packets. These cheesy bundles of goodness quickly became one of our favorite dinners, too.

Chicken Packets are quick and easy to prepare, and they reheat wonderfully. They are also the perfect way to use up leftover chicken. For example, this time around the husband and I had some rotisserie chicken to get rid of, and I couldn't smuggle any more leftovers disguised as sandwiches in his lunchbox.

Now that I shared my blast from the past, what was your favorite recipe when you started cooking?

Chicken Packets
From: Karisa
Makes 4 large packets

2 cups chopped (or ground) cooked chicken
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1-2 tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper
1 package crescent roll dough*
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4-1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (If you only have plain breadcrumbs on hand, just season with salt and pepper. That's what I usually do.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix together chicken, cream cheese, chives, and enough milk to make the mixture stir-able. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Unroll crescent rolls and pinch edges of two triangles together to form one rectangle. Repeat with remaining crescent rolls so you have four rectangles.

Evenly divide chicken mixture between rectangles.

Pinch the edges together to seal. (Don't worry if the edges start coming apart. Just pinch them back together until they stick.) Place packets on a cookie sheet. Brush melted butter on top of packets. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. 

*I always make four large Chicken Packets, but Karisa's original recipe recommends using two packages of crescent roll dough and dividing the mixture into eight packets. I guess I like my packets really chock full of stuffing.