Chicken Rolls

When I was in college, my roommate Lisa made this one night. I fell in love. They are soft, kinda crunchy from the bread crumb coating, creamy from the cream cheese filling, and delicious because they just are. I asked for the recipe, and lo and behold, ten years later, it's still a favorite go-to recipe. My somewhat picky four year old scarfed this down like it was an ice cream sandwich. She couldn't get enough of it! My husband, who usually crawls under a rock to hide when Cream of Mushroom soup is mentioned, loves it. There are a few steps to follow, but it is well worth it. This is a great one to make if you have company over or if you're taking a meal to someone. Well, here it is! Enjoy.Chicken Rolls:
1 T yeast
1/4 c warm water
1/2 milk
1/2 cube butter (4 T)
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1 egg
2 1/2 - 3 c flour
Dissolve yeast is warm water. Make sure the water is not too hot, or it will kill the yeast. No bueno. The water should be about 110 degrees. Hot to the touch, but not to the point where it will burn your skin. Set aside to foam.

Put the milk and butter in a dish and microwave until butter melts. I usually cut the butter into pats so it melts easier. Add the sugar and salt to this. Cool. Once the mixture is cooled, put it into your bread machine. Add the yeast mixture, egg, and 1 1/2 c flour. Put the bread machine on the dough setting and start it. Once the flour is incorporated, add another 1- 1 1/2 c flour. Mix until blended. The dough will be sticky. Let the bread machine finish it's business. By the time the 90 minutes is up, the bread should be double in size. If you don't have a bread machine, mix it all in a bowl and knead it with your hands until smooth. Put it in a bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm spot until it is double in size.

While the dough is rising, do the rest.
Filling:
1 c. cooked chicken (I wrote chooked cicken first) :)
3 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c mozzarella cheese
1 t parsley
1 t Italian seasoning

Coating:
4 T melted butter
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 sm container sour cream
milk to thin

Combine the filling ingredients. You can add other ingredients or seasonings to your liking. You can add chopped onions, olives, mushrooms, broccoli, or whatever your family enjoys. Get creative! Keep the filling in the fridge until the dough is done. This is the seasoned chicken before I added all the other ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Once your dough is done, break to dough in half to make six chicken rolls. Roll the dough into a circle and use a pizza cutter to cut it into six (somewhat equal as in the picture) wedges.
Put a spoonful of the chicken mixture toward the outside of the wedge.
Fold the outer corners over the chicken mixture and roll it up to make a croissant-shaped roll.
Put the melted butter in one bowl. Put the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese into another bowl. Dip the rolls into butter then roll them in the bread crumb mixture. Place them on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake them for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

While they are baking, combine the Cream of Mushroom soup and sour cream in a small saucepan. I usually half the ingredients since I halved the dough. Heat it over medium-low heat until smooth. Add milk to thin it to a consistency of your liking. This sauce will go over the top of the chicken rolls. (see the first picture)












I serve corn-on-the-cob, wild rice, and fresh fruit with this dinner.

Save the other half of the dough for another use. I have made cinnamon rolls and bread sticks with the dough. I will experiment with it within the next couple of days and hopefully post a good use for it.