Chicken Bundles

I have had these wonderful little bundles many times but with store bought crescent rolls and so when I saw these over at Mel's kitchen Cafe with homemade crescent rolls I knew I had to try them out. Oh boy were they good. Takes a little bit more work but they are so much better than store bought. Give these a try you will love them. Just awesome for Sunday dinner!!

CHICKEN BUNDLES

Filling:

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2(8 0z) pkgs of cream cheese, at room temp.

4 T. melted butter

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix all together until well combined. Set Aside.

Rolls and Coating:

1 batch buttery crescent rolls(recipe below)

1 stick butter, melted

2 cups panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Parmesan Sauce:

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

1 chicken bouillon cube or 1 tsp chicken bouillon granules

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 cup sour cream, light or regular

Make the buttery crescent rolls according to the recipe but after the first rise deflate the dough and seperate into two pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a 13x20 inch rectangle and cute each rectangle into 12 pieces.(cutting lengthwise in half and then each half into 6 pieces) One by one flatten each dough piece slightly and spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture into the center of each. Fold up the edges and pinch them together to seal well.

When all the chicken bundles have been formed, combine the panko crumbs and paremasan cheese in a flat dish. One by one dip each bundle in the melted butter and then the bread crumbs. Place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes or until bundles are lightly golden brown and the dough is baked through.

While the rolls are baking,prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixtures is golden and bubbly. Slowly whisk in the milk, chicken bouillon, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly over medium heat until sauce thickens and bubbles. (about 5-10 minutes) Make sure you don't burn it turn down the heat if needed. Stir in the parmesan chees and cook until the cheese is melted. Remove the sauce from the heat. Add in the sour cream.

Serve the rolls warm from the oven with the Parmesan sauce drizzled over the top.

Buttery Crescent Rolls

Note: if you need/want to use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, change the amount of yeast to 2 tablespoons active dry and dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let the yeast mixture activate and foam (approximately 5 minutes) before adding it to the cornmeal mixture with the butter and 1/3 cup sugar.

Also, as with all yeast doughs, I never use the flour amount called for in the recipe as a hard fast rule (unless a weight measure is given and then I pull out my kitchen scale). Because humidity, temperature, altitude and a multitude of other factors can impact how much flour you need in your yeast doughs, I always judge when to quit adding flour by the texture and look and feel of the dough rather than how much flour I’ve added compared to the recipe. This tutorial on yeastmay help identify how a perfectly floured dough should be.

*Makes 2 dozen rolls

2 cups milk
2/3 cup yellow corn meal
1 ½ tablespoons instant yeast
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
5 ½ – 6 cups flour

Heat the milk to just below a boil so bubbles are just appearing around the edges (this is called scalding milk). Add the cornmeal and cook and stir until thickened, lowering the temperature if needed so the mixture doesn’t boil (see picture below the recipe for an idea of what the consistency should be). Pour the cornmeal/milk mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl and let cool until lukewarm. Add the yeast, butter and sugar (if you dissolved active dry yeast with a bit of water and sugar until it foamed, add it now). Mix. Add the salt and eggs. Mix well. Add the flour gradually until a soft dough forms. Knead for 5-8 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl covered with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled.

Divide the dough into three portions and roll each into about an 8-10 inch circle. Brush the top lightly with butter. Cut into 8 wedges and roll each wedge up starting from the wide end so it forms a crescent roll shape. Place each roll on a lightly greased or silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 1-2 inches apart to allow for rising. Cover lightly with greased plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise until doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Brush with butter while still warm.

Recipe source: www.melskitchencafe.com