Breaded chicken cutlets, gooey mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, and fresh basil are enveloped in buttery crescent dough. Baked until golden brown, these are exploding with flavor in every bite for a tasty lunch or snack.
Chicken Parmesan is a classic dish that everyone loves, but it can be a little bit time consuming to make. These crescents are a simplified version of the dish that are just as delicious and just as easy to make! All you need is some chicken, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, and crescent rolls, and you’re good to go! Try this recipe out for yourself and see how quick and easy it is to put together.
Ingredients to Make Chicken Parmesan Crescents
Crescent rolls – I used the Aldi brand which is less greasy than Pillsbury. I do however prefer the flavor of the Pillsbury, but at the time I purchased these it was simply a cost factor. The off brand was like $1.50 cheaper!
Cheese – Fresh Mozzarella cheese was cut into generous-sized cubes. You can use any cheese you might have on hand, but chunk style provides the best cheese pull and flavor.
Chicken – I used breaded chicken patties that were cooked in the air fryer. You can use chicken nuggets, tenders, grilled chicken leftovers –pretty much any cooked chicken will work.
Sauce – Marinara sauce is what I typically turn to for these. I did not use a fancy brand and think the Great Value (Walmart) brand was just fine!
Herbs & Spices – I had fresh basil from the garden which added a nice burst of flavor. I also used dried Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
Butter – I used unsalted butter which I melted in the microwave. Mixed with the spices it made a nice flavor once baked in.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Crescents
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray and set aside.
Prepare chicken patties according to package instructions. Ours took about 9 minutes in our air fryer at 375°F. Once cooked, cut them into fourths and set aside.
Unwrap the crescent rolls and separate into triangles. Add one triangle to each muffin tin space.
Add one basil leaf to each space followed by one piece of breaded chicken.
Add one teaspoon of marinara to the top of the chicken, and follow with one piece of cheese.
Sprinkle some Italian seasoning on each middle (on top of the cheese.)
In a small bowl whisk melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder until combined.
Close each crescent up (it is okay if there are spaces) and brush on the seasoned butter mixture.
Bake crescents for 16-19 minutes. They will be golden brown and firm to the touch.
Allow crescents to cool for one minute before removing them from the pan. Enjoy warm.
Storing
Freezer
These chicken and cheese crescents can be assembled, baked, cooled, and then frozen. Simply line a baking sheet with cooled bites and freeze for 2-3 hours. Once frozen, add crescents to an airtight freezer bag or storage container to store them for up to 30 days. To enjoy from frozen allow bites to thaw. Once thawed, add them to a toaster oven for 2-3 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit to crisp them up.
Refrigerator
Unfortunately, unless frozen, these crescents are best eaten when warm, on the same day. However, you can store them for up to 24 hours in the fridge. This will change the overall quality of these since the dough will lose its crispness and flavor. Crisping them up in a toaster oven for 2-3 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit can help restore some of the texture
More Savory Crescent Roll Recipes
Looking for more recipes that use crescent dough? These can all be made in a muffin tin and are delicious!
- Buffalo Chicken Crescent Dough Bites
- Ham, Egg, and Cheese Crescents
- Pepperoni Pizza Dip Bites
- Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Crescents
- Cheesy Meatball Crescents
Easy Chicken Parmesan Crescents
Equipment
- 1 12-count muffin tin
- cutting board & knife
- air fryer or oven
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Crescent rolls
- 4 ounces mozzarella cubed, or shredded
- 2-3 whole breaded chicken patties cooked, cut into fourths
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 8 leaves fresh basil *optional
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted, melted
- ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Prepare chicken patties according to package instructions. Ours took about 9 minutes in our air fryer at 375°F. Once cooked, cut them into fourths and set aside.
- Unwrap the crescent rolls and separate into triangles. Add one triangle to each muffin tin space.
- Add one basil leaf to each space followed by one piece of breaded chicken.
- Add one teaspoon of marinara to the top of the chicken, and follow with one piece of cheese.
- Sprinkle some Italian seasoning on each.
- In a small bowl whisk melted butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder until combined.
- Close each crescent up (it is okay if there are spaces) and brush on the seasoned butter mixture.
- Bake crescents for 16-19 minutes. They will be golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Allow crescents to cool for one minute before removing them from the pan. Enjoy warm.
Claudia Lamascolo says
Great idea especially for a party I can think of many ways to make them these were easy and delicious
Jen says
I love how quick and easy this recipe is. My family loved it!
Rachna says
What a mouthwatering recipe! I can imagine how delicious those chicken cutlets stuffed pockets were. Will be trying them out soon.
Anjali says
This was such an easy to make, elegant party appetizer for our dinner party this weekend! Everyone loved these little bites!
Ieva says
Wonderul party snack! We had a few friends come round and I tried this recipe with a couple of dips as a snack before a sit-down meal. Really not too difficult to make and the chicken inside stayed lovely and succulent. We ate leftovers cold and they were really tasty too!