Chicken and Broccoli Crescent Braid

 

This was one of those dinner that was born because I had lots of random stuff I wanted to use up in my fridge. A lot of times, I use those random ingredients in a pasta, but I had two rolls of crescent rolls left over that I wanted to stop staring at me from inside my fridge door, so I decided to go a different route other than pasta. Do you ever make dinner like that? An ¨everything must go” type of meal? I am always nervous when I start those type of dinners, the ones without a plan and too many ingredients, but luckily, they usually turn out okay. Well, except for the infamous pork stew…one day I will have to fess up to that story!

I decided on mixing things up and making a braided dinner instead of the basic stromboli type sandwich I was planning on. I have never made any sort of “braid” before and honestly have no idea why I haven’t before! They look so impressive but really aren’t much harder than just rolling everything up like a stromboli. And doesn’t calling something “braided” just make it sound so much fancier…no?

Braid aside, this was a hit. A lot of easy on hand foods can be used to make this meal. The dough is already made for you, I used leftover chicken that had just been seasoned with salt and pepper, and I used a steam in the microwave bag of broccoli, which makes my life so much easier whenever I don’t have a veggie planned to go along with dinner. This would also make a great appetizer for the upcoming holiday season. Just slice into smaller pieces and serve warm on a tray! I hope you try this easy and delicious dinner soon!

Chicken and Broccoli Crescent Braid

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Chicken and Broccoli Crescent Braid

Ingredients

• 1 roll of crescent roll dough
• 2 chicken breasts rotisserie chicken, or left over chicken, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 bag of frozen steamable broccoli or one pound of fresh broccoli, steamed
• 8 oz. sharp cheddar shredded
• 4 oz. ricotta or cream cheese softened*
• salt garlic powder, and pepper to taste
• *I used ricotta because I had it left over. Softened cream cheese would probably taste even better!

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Begin by unrolling your dough onto a cookie sheet. Smooth together the seams so that it becomes one cohesive sheet. You can smooth out the creases by dipping your finger in water and then pressing gently along the seam.
3. Mix together precooked chicken, steamed broccoli, and either your ricotta or cream cheese. Stir well to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
4. Lay your chicken mixture straight down the middle of your dough, leaving equal room on both sides. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the mixture.
5.  Using either a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, slice 1 inch slits into both sides of your dough. Wrap your dough by alternating sides, pulling a piece up, and then overlapping it over the other. Spray with cooking spray and then bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting into it so that the cheese has time to set back up.
7. Enjoy!