When you are married to someone in the military, you realize how important a home cooked meal is for your spouse.  My husband is like a growing child, he is always hungry. When he comes back from the field, I know he is ready to enjoy real food after eating MRE’s for days, weeks, and sometimes months.

In this section of the blog, I will be sharing with you some of my husband’s favorite meals that are easy on your budget, healthy and balanced, as well as simple to prepare.  Due to my new found love of using fresh herbs in everything I cook, I will also include a section in each post describing the health benefits of the herbs used.

This recipe calls for fresh Parsley.  Parsley is good for you in many ways. Most people are familiar with parsley as a garnish on a plate of food, or for the benefit of good breath.  The health benefits of parsley are numerous. It can be used to control diabetes, helps reduce inflammation in the joints, boosts your immune system, and aids in fighting osteoporosis due to the calcium content in this magical herb.

The first recipe I am going to share with you was inspired by a video recipe by Tasty on Facebook.  Click here to view it.

I have edited this recipe and added my own twist to it.

Below is my version:

Ingredients:

1 cup of Whipped Cream Cheese

¼ Cup of Fresh Parsley (chopped fine)

1 package of Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts (You can cook this all day in the crockpot and shred it or boil it and chop the chicken)

2 rolls of Pillsbury crescent rolls (1-Big n Flaky and 1-regular size work as a great combination) *Note- Leave these in the refrigerator until the moment you need them. The dough is easier to roll out when it is cold.

1 ¼ cup of Sweet Baby Rays Buffalo Sauce (This is a mild sauce-you can always substitute a hotter buffalo sauce here for your liking  such as Moore’s Medium Buffalo Sauce)

½ Cup of Parmesan Cheese

1 ½ Cups of Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions:

1-Cook the chicken 1 of 2 ways:

a-Cook in a Crockpot for 8-9 hours. Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, dried parsley, and oregano on top of the chicken breasts, fill with enough water to cover the chicken, and cook on low.  Once chicken is cooked, put onto a cutting board and shred the chicken by pulling it apart with forks, and remove any fat and gristle as you shred the chicken. Add the shredded chicken to a large bowl.

b-Put chicken breasts in a large pot filled with enough water to cover them. Boil on a medium setting for thirty minutes to forty minutes.  Drain the water and chop the chicken in small pieces, removing any fat and gristle. Add the chicken to a large bowl.

2-Wash, trim, and chop the fresh parsley finely and add to the bowl of chicken.

3-Add cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and buffalo sauce to the chicken and mix.

4-On a large Cookie Sheet, unroll the large and flaky can of crescent rolls. Lay them on the baking sheet as if you were creating a sunshine in a circle. Next, add the second roll of regular size crescent roll pieces and add in between the other big and flaky pieces around the circle.

5-Next, spoon the chicken mixture around the circle and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

6-Fold each crescent roll on top of the chicken mixture to create one large folded circle.

7-Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the crescent rolls become light brown on top.

*Buffalo Chicken Pockets pair well with a side salad or veggies with ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping.

This meal serves 4-6 and costs approximately $18.50

© Wendi and Strength 4 Spouses, 2018.