Recipe Swap: Chicken Suiza Pockets

Chicken was the theme for the latest recipe swap. It's such a versatile meat but like most people I get into a rut making the same chicken dishes over and over again. I was excited when I was assigned these Chicken Suiza Pockets from Jenna. We love Mexican food and these seemed simple yet different from anything I've made before.

I didn't read the recipe ahead of time so I didn't realize it called for mixing the chicken and other ingredients in a stand mixer to shred the chicken. While I really want to try this tip, I didn't feel like dragging my stand mixer out of the garage when I could just shred the chicken by hand and mix it with the other ingredients.

I ended up cooking the chicken and mixing up the filling a few days before I made this recipe due to a change in dinner plans. The next day I needed a quick lunch so I snagged some of the filling and made a quesadilla. It was good so I was really looking forward to dinner the next night.

Unfortunately I had some issues getting my crescent rolls to stick together. The perforated lines didn't want to cooperate and I only managed to get three pockets made, which was fine because that fed us all for dinner. Baby Girl was a big fan, eating half a pocket in addition to the salad I served on the side. These were good and I liked the concept but I think a different rolled dough would make it easier.

Chicken Suiza Pockets
As seen on Jenna’s Cooking Journey, originally from Cassie Craves

2 small chicken breasts
1 can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
5 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salsa verde
1 tablespoons honey
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded Mexican Blend cheese
2 packages crescent rolls
Cilantro, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375.

Put chicken breasts and Rotel in a glass baking dish and bake until the chicken is done, about 35 minutes.

Place the chicken breasts, 3 tablespoons of the Rotel and all the other ingredients except the crescent rolls and the cilantro into a standing mixer. Turn on low and mix until all the ingredients are combined (this will shred your chicken and combine all the ingredients). Alternatively, you can shred the chicken and mix with the other ingredients in a large bowl.

Divide each pack of crescent rolls into 4 rectangles by sealing together two triangles of dough. Divide the filling evenly among the 8 rectangles. Seal by pinching the dough up and into the middle. Bake 20 minutes.

Top with cilantro, if desired.