Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pies

Quick and easy Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pies feature a savory mixture of diced chicken, cream cheese, taco seasoning, and fresh cilantro, folded inside crescent roll dough and topped with crunchy crushed tortilla chips!

Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pies with text overlay.

Comin' atcha' today with a quick and easy dinner recipe, friends! My family loves this one. And let's be honest here...what recipe has ever combined crescent roll dough and cream cheese and turned out anything but delicious? 😉

Close-Up on Decorative Plate with a Side of Salsa for Dipping

Ingredients

Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pies are exactly what they sound like...a blend of chopped chicken, decadent cream cheese, and zippy taco seasoning, with a bit of fresh cilantro thrown in for freshness.

The resulting mixture is plopped into the center of crescent roll dough rectangles to form cute little hand pies, which are then topped with crushed tortilla chips and baked until golden brown.

Can't you just taste them now? Mmmmmm...

Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pies on White Plate with Fresh Cilantro Garnish

Great for Leftover Chicken or Turkey

I actually made this batch of hand pies using a bag of diced turkey that I found in the freezer, left over from the holidays. Seeing as how it's almost April, I figured it was probably a good time to use it up...and this recipe is what I came up with.

I actually had four cups of turkey, so I doubled the recipe, which made enough to feed our family of five dinner, plus leftovers for lunch. And who am I to turn down tasty lunchtime leftovers in lieu of enjoying my toddler's half-eaten peanut butter sandwich and rejected apple slices? 😉

Aerial View with Serving on Plate and Pies on Platter

I always like to keep a tube of crescent rolls in the fridge because they're versatile enough to transform into a variety of different recipes...in fact, they've saved me from a 5:00 what-am-I-going-to-make-for-dinner dilemma on more than one occasion.

I've made crescent roll hand pies before, but never with a Mexican twist. However, seeing as how my family loves all things taco, I knew they'd enjoy this variation. The crushed tortilla chips on top add a bit of saltiness and a nice crunch, and serving these with salsa on the side helps counter the richness of the cream cheese.

Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pies Cut in Half Showing Filling

Substitutions

You could totally play around with the filling if you'd like...sub black beans for a portion of the chicken, add some corn, use ground beef instead of poultry...feel free to get creative with your favorite ingredients!

And while this is a quick, yummy meal for using up leftover chicken (or turkey), no worries if you don't have any on hand...you can always cook a couple of chicken breasts or use a store-bought rotisserie chicken instead.Close-Up

So the next time you're craving Mexican flavors...and you're trying to come up with a speedy, simple recipe that your family will eagerly wolf down...and you open the fridge to encounter a can of crescent rolls, a block of cream cheese, and a bowl of leftover chicken (imagine that!)...these Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pies are sure to fit the bill.

They're a cinch to make, fun to eat, and oh-so-creamy-dreamy good. 🙂

More Yummy, Easy Dinners

Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pie on a plate

Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pies

Quick and easy Creamy Chicken Taco Hand Pies feature a savory mixture of diced chicken, cream cheese, taco seasoning, and fresh cilantro folded inside crescent roll dough and topped with crunchy crushed tortilla chips.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 hand pies
Calories: 421kcal
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked, diced chicken
  • 1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
  • 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon fresh minced cilantro, optional
  • 1 (8-ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls
  • ½ tablespoon butter, melted
  • ¼ cup finely crushed tortilla chips
  • Salsa, for serving

Instructions

  • In a medium pot set over medium low heat, combine diced chicken, cream cheese, and taco seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth, melted, and heated through. Stir in minced cilantro and set aside.
  • While chicken mixture is cooking, adjust rack to center position of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Open can of crescent rolls and separate dough into four triangles. Firmly press perforations together to seal.
  • Mound ¼ of chicken mixture onto one half of each crescent roll rectangle, leaving a border around the edges. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling, pressing edges together. Use a fork to crimp and seal edges.
  • Pour crushed tortilla chips onto a plate. Brush the top of each hand pie with melted butter and carefully roll that side in the tortilla chips, pressing gently to help them adhere. Arrange hand pies on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with additional fresh cilantro, if desired, and serve immediately with salsa on the side.

Notes

  • You may use light cream cheese or reduced-fat crescent rolls, if desired. Turkey may be substituted for the chicken. You may also add extra taco seasoning, to taste.
  • My favorite brands of "natural" crescent rolls are from Immaculate Baking Co. or Annie's Organic.
  • Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Nutrition

Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 1010mg | Potassium: 333mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 220mg | Iron: 2mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

You May Also Like

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. I made these for delighted friends and family, and they were as much fun to cook as they were to eat!
    thanks for another winner.

    1. Yay, Carolyn...so glad these were a hit! I haven't made them in awhile, but I'm going to have to remedy that the next time I have a bit of leftover chicken! 😉 Thanks for the sweet comment and I hope you're having a great week!

  2. You're so right...definitely can't go wrong with crescent rolls and cream cheese! My family would go crazy for these, Samantha. Pinned!

    1. Thanks so much for the pin, Julie! Hope your family enjoys this if you try it...I've yet to meet a crescent roll recipe (or cream cheese recipe, for that matter) I didn't like! Hope y'all are having a great week and that you have a very happy Easter. 🙂

  3. Recipe please,for your Cream Cheese Frostiñg. Im making my sister and her husband 's 60th wedding cake.