This Cheesy Chicken Pesto Crescent Ring is the perfect easy party appetizer or main dish. It’s stuffed with cheese, chicken, pesto, and Alfredo.
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A Dinnertime Life Saver (Or Appetizer)
During the holidays, I’m constantly scavenging through the fridge and pantry to find something to throw together for dinner. Bonus points if it’s quick AND easy!
This Cheesy Chicken Pesto Crescent Ring was the perfect solution to our dinnertime struggles. It only takes 40 minutes to make (half of which is baking time) and 8 ingredients. Plus, it can be simplified by using pre-shredded cheese, rotisserie chicken and store-bought refrigerated sauces like Buitoni.
I grabbed three of the Buitoni freshly made sauces: Creamy Alfredo, Pesto with Basil and Marinara.
How to Make It
FILLING. For the filling, I mixed together a portion of the mozzarella, parmesan, chicken, pesto and alfredo. That’s right, only 5 ingredients!
I chose Buitoni sauces over jarred sauces because they have a fresh taste and they’re made with no GMO ingredients. They also happen to taste similar to my homemade sauces, which is pretty darn impressive.
CRESCENTS. I rolled out the crescent dough and formed a sun shape on my baking sheet. I spread the cheese and filling over the centermost part of the dough, then took the tips and folded them over to create the ring. It may look difficult but I promise it’s not!
BAKE. I brushed the top with melted butter and garlic powder. It gave the crescent dough a little extra flavor. All that’s left to do is bake at 375° for 22-25 minutes until the crescents are golden brown, and then let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
SERVE. After letting the ring cool, we sliced it up and started dunking. The marinara sauce was a nice added extra. Again, it tasted so much better than the jarred stuff, and it was way easier than making a vat of homemade sauce!!
Want to change it up?
This recipe is so easy to make variations of. Here are a few ideas…
- Use our pesto recipe or our marinara recipe
- Make this a buffalo chicken crescent ring by using buffalo wing sauce instead of pesto dressing
- Use shredded rotisserie chicken
Serving Tips
This was a quick and easy meal that the entire family loved. We’re obsessed with pesto so this ring went quickly. It was the perfect size for a family of four.
It would also make a great party appetizer and could easily feed up to 8 people!
How long can it sit out? We recommend not letting any food sit out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours because you risk the food spoiling.
Storing Leftovers
Keep any leftover slices STORED in the fridge in an airtight container. You can REHEAT individual servings in the microwave and larger portions in the oven.
You should be fine to FREEZE leftovers. Make sure that it is cooled completely before placing leftover slices in airtight containers/bags. It should last for about 3 months. Reheat in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes or until warmed through. You may want to tent it with a piece of foil so that it doesn’t continue to brown.
Next time you’re at the store make sure to grab some freshly made Buitoni sauces in the refrigerated section… you never know when you might use them!
Want more recipe inspiration? Make sure to visit Buitoni.com.
For more dishes that are great main dishes or appetizers, try:
Pesto Chicken Crescent Ring Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese - divided
- 1 1/4 cup cooked chicken - thinly sliced or cubed (rotisserie works great)
- 1/3 cup basil pesto - we like the Buitoni brand
- 1/4 cup alfredo sauce - we like the Buitoni brand
- 1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 2 (8 oz) cans orignal crescent dough
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter - melted
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
For Dipping
- marinara sauce - we like the Buitoni brand
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of mozzarella with the chicken, pesto with basil, alfredo, and parmesan. Mix just until combined.
- Unroll both cans of crescent dough and separate into 16 triangles. On the prepared baking sheet, arrange the triangles (overlapping the dough) in a ring to form a 4-inch circle in center.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup of the mozzarella over the inner most part of the "sun." Spoon chicken mixture over. Top with remaining ¼ cup of mozzarella.
- Take the tip of each dough triangle up and over the filling, tucking it under bottom layer of dough to secure it. Repeat around the ring until entirely enclosed (it's ok if some of the filling shows a little).
- Brush the top of the crescent ring with melted butter, then sprinkle garlic powder over top.
- Place in the oven and bake for 22 to 25 minutes or golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
- To serve, place a small bowl with marinara in the center of the ring
NOTES
- You can use pizza dough too. Cut the dough into 16 triangles.
Delicious and easy!
Does the pesto get mixed in with the chicken, alfredo etc. it isn’t mentioned in the instructions.