Buffalo Chicken Pillows

Buffalo Chicken Pillows are crescent rolls stuffed with creamy & spicy buffalo chicken. The soft pillows are filled with a warm creamy chicken mixture and they’re always a family favorite dinner recipe that can be ready in just 30 minutes with easy ready-to-use ingredients like refrigerated crescent rolls, dried seasonings, cooked chicken, and cream cheese. 

You must also try my original version of Chicken Pillows. This one is not spicy, also uses cooked chicken, and the pillows are topped with a crunchy breadcrumb mixture!

Buffalo Chicken Pillows Recipe

I have so many different versions of this chicken pillow recipe floating around in my head! The newest one is a mildly spicy, super creamy, buffalo chicken pillows. They can very easily be made less spicy for young kids, or you can take the heat level up a notch. 

The soft ‘pillowy’ part is the crescent roll that has a filling of a creamy buffalo chicken mixture. It’s then rolled up, like a pillow, and baked in the oven. This is an easy dinner recipe that can be on the table in less than 30 minutes! 

Ingredients for Chicken Pillows with Buffalo Sauce and Chicken

• Cream Cheese – This makes the chicken filling super creamy and it helps to make the spice level more mild. Feel free to use regular fat cream cheese or 1/3 less fat cream cheese in this recipe. 
• Cooked Chicken – The perfect recipe to use up leftover chicken, grab a rotisserie chicken, or you can even used canned chicken… I use this a lot and no one ever knows my secret. If using canned chicken, make sure that you drain it well and use a fork to flake the chicken pieces before adding them into the mixture. 
• Dried Parsley
• Garlic Powder
• Red Pepper Flakes – I omit this entirely when I am making this recipe for my family. You can easily use more or less, or none at all, depending on heat level preferences in your family. 
• Buffalo Sauce – There are several options for buffalo sauce. I like to use the Sweet Baby Ray’s buffalo wing sauce. You could also use Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce, or the Buffalo Wild Wings sauce, or the generic store brand will work great also. I do know that some are spicier than others, so just make sure you use one that you like the taste of it and spice level of it. 
• Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Rolls – You want two packs of the 8 count of crescent dough.

How To Make Buffalo Chicken Pillows

Learn how to make this simple, 30 minute recipe for buffalo chicken pillows. 

• Preparation : Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. This just helps prevent any sticking and makes clean up much easier. 
• Buffalo Chicken : Add the cream cheese, chicken, parsley, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes (if using), and buffalo sauce into a mixing bowl. Stir together to combine it. You can also use a hand mixer to make mixing it easier. If the cream cheese is softened well, then it should mix easily together. 
• Pillows : Working with one crescent at a time, place about 1-2 tablespoons of buffalo chicken, on the larger end of the crescent roll. Roll up while using your fingers to pinch the edges together and the seams. Place on the prepared cookie sheet and continue with the rest. 
• Bake : Cook for 12-14 minutes and serve warm! The pillows will be golden brown on top and the sides. 

How To Store Leftover Chicken Pillows

Leftovers can be store in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. The crescent will get softer the longer it’s in the fridge. 

Warm up leftovers in the microwave or use an air fryer to get the crescent a little crispy again. 

You can also try freezing any leftover buffalo chicken pillows if wanted. Let the chicken pillows cool down to room temperature and then place them inside a freezer safe container, or bag, for up to 3 months. You could also wrap each one individually and warm them up as necessary in the microwave, or let it thaw in the fridge. 

Substitutions & Variations For This Buffalo Chicken Recipe

There are a few ways to switch up this chicken pillows recipe if wanted. Here are some ideas and things that I have done.

• Less Spicy : Omit the red pepper flakes in the recipe and reduce the buffalo sauce to 1/4 cup. This is normally how I will make this recipe because my kids don’t like all the spice. 
• Chicken : Use up leftover chicken, buy a rotisserie chicken, or use canned chicken. Using canned chicken is a substitute that I do a lot with recipes like this that call for already cooked chicken. 
• Cream Cheese : For even more flavor, and some spice, try using a flavored cream cheese like garden vegetable, jalapeño, or another variety. 

Recipe Tips

Here are some of my helpful tips so that you can have success recreating this recipe in your own kitchen.

• Spice Level : Make these buffalo chicken pillows as spicy, or not spicy, as your family prefers. Use more red pepper flakes, add red cayenne pepper for even more spice, or you can reduce the red pepper flakes and buffalo sauce for less spice. You can even omit the red pepper flakes all together in the recipe.
• Leftover Chicken : This is a great way to use up leftover chicken. I also use canned chicken quite a bit when I make this recipe and no one ever knows the secret!
• Double the Recipe : This recipe can easily be doubled if you’re serving a crowd or a larger family. Simply double every ingredient. You will end up with 32 crescent pillows instead of 16.
• Cream Cheese : Cream Cheese or 1/3 less fat cream cheese (also called Neufchatel) can both be used in this recipe. The only difference is that one is made with milk + cream, while 1/3 less fat cream cheese is made with milk. I prefer to use real cream cheese because of the taste and rich creamy texture it provides, like in this Cream Cheese Chicken Soup. But either will work fine in this easy dinner recipe. You also want to make sure that the cream cheese is softened well so it makes mixing easier. I put the unwrapped cream cheese in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds to get it nice and soft. 

More 30 Minute Chicken Dinner Recipes To Try

• Salsa Chicken Baked Flautas
• One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
• Chicken Burrito Skillet
• Hot Chicken Salad French Bread Sandwiches
• Skillet Cashew Chicken