Chicks in a Blanket are the cuter, crispier cousin of the classic pigs in a blanket appetizer. Let me tell you, they disappear faster than I can get them off the baking sheet! With just 4 ingredients and two big shortcuts (frozen chicken nuggets and refrigerated crescent roll dough), these easy chicken appetizers are ready in the oven or air fryer in no time.
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This chicks in a blanket recipe takes bite-size chicken nuggets (breaded or grilled), wraps them in thin strips of crescent roll dough, and bakes them until golden brown and buttery. I like to spread a thin swipe of Dijon mustard on the dough to add a little tangy kick, but it's totally optional if you're feeding picky eaters. It’s become one of my favorite appetizers, especially for game day and finger food potlucks!
I always keep a bag of chicken nuggets in the freezer for my grandkids... and my husband! Now that we're empty nesters, the grandkiddos' visits are the highlight of my weekend and these little chicken nuggets in a blanket are guaranteed to get a smile from kids and grown-ups alike. They're just as welcome on a game day spread as they are on a busy weeknight when everybody's hungry!
Serve them with plenty of dipping sauces, like my tangy Comeback Sauce, a drizzle of Hot Honey, or Pesto Mayonnaise. And if you love crescent roll shortcuts as much as I do, try my Crescent Roll Ham and Cheese Bake and Garlic Butter Cruffins.
For more game day food ideas, check out my Top 10 Super Bowl Southern Shortcut Recipes!
Shortcuts
- Frozen chicken nuggets. Fully cooked nuggets mean there's no raw chicken to handle, trim, or bread. You're just warming them all the way through while the dough bakes.
- Refrigerated crescent roll dough. No mixing, kneading, or rising required. The dough is already buttery and flaky, and the perforated triangles make cutting a breeze. A pizza cutter is also a shortcut for cutting!
- Leftover restaurant nuggets. Have leftover Chick-fil-A nuggets from a party tray? They're the perfect size and turn yesterday's leftovers into a brand new snack.
Ingredients to Make Chicks in a Blanket
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- Chicken nuggets - Use 24 very small frozen, fully cooked chicken nuggets, sometimes labeled popcorn chicken. After testing three brands, I preferred Tyson Fully Cooked Popcorn Chicken for its size and texture. Larger shaped nuggets (like Perdue) work too if you cut them in half, and Just Bare Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Bites are a great option if you want chicken with no breading. You can also cut and cook your own 1-inch cubes of chicken breasts.
- Crescent roll dough - One 8-ounce can of refrigerated crescent rolls makes 24 bites. Keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use it, since cold dough is much easier to cut and roll.
- Dijon mustard (optional) - A thin layer adds a tangy, grown-up flavor that pairs beautifully with chicken. Skip it for kids or picky eaters, or swap in honey mustard for a sweeter bite.
- Butter - Melted butter brushed over the tops helps the dough bake up golden brown and adds rich flavor. It also acts as "glue" if you want to sprinkle on seasonings.
Substitutions & Variations
- Other nuggets: Most any chicken nuggets will work. Ones with less breading or no breading at all, like fully cooked grilled nuggets, work especially well.
- Homemade chicken bites: To save a little money (but not time), cut chicken breast into 1 ¼-inch cubes and air fry, bake, or pan fry them. Once completely cooled, they'll shrink to about 1-inch cubes, the perfect size for wrapping.
- Seasoned tops: Right after brushing with butter, sprinkle with coarse salt, poppy seeds, Everything Bagel seasoning, or your favorite seasoning blend.
- Feed a crowd: One recipe makes 2 dozen, so simply double it for a party. Keep the second can of dough in the fridge while you work on the first batch.
How to Make Chicks in a Blanket
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, or cover it with foil and lightly coat it with cooking spray.
- Microwave the frozen nuggets on HIGH for 1 minute, or let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. This helps the chicken heat all the way through without overbrowning the dough.
- Unroll the crescent dough. If using mustard, spread it over the dough before separating the triangles.
- Separate the triangles along the perforations using a pizza cutter or knife. Then, starting at the narrow tip, cut each triangle into three thinner triangles for 24 strips total.
- Place a chicken nugget on the wide end of a dough strip and roll it up toward the point. Place it point side down on the baking sheet and repeat with the rest.
- Brush the tops with melted butter.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown and the chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Transfer to a platter and serve warm with your favorite dipping sauces.
Air Fryer Method
- Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes at 350F. Arrange the wrapped nuggets in a single layer with space between them and air fry at 350°F for 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Pro Tips
- Aim for using chicken nuggets that are all the same size. If some of your chicken nuggets are too large, simply cut them in half. Smaller pieces heat through evenly and let the thin dough strips wrap all the way around.
- Don't use warm or hot nuggets. Hot chicken softens the crescent dough, and you'll end up with saggy, gummy bread. The nuggets should be just barely thawed, not heated through, before wrapping.
- Keep the dough cold. Crescent dough gets sticky and stretchy as it warms up. If it gets hard to handle, pop it back in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes before continuing.
- Use a thermometer. Since the dough can look done before the center is hot, check a couple of the larger bites with an instant-read thermometer. The chicken should read 165°F in the center.
What to Serve with this Chicken Appetizer
A dipping sauce bar is the way to go with these! Set out a few bowls of Comeback Sauce, Ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, ketchup, a couple of mustards, and Hot Honey so everyone can pick their favorite.
For game day or an easy finger food for a party, serve them alongside Bacon Wrapped Meatballs, Baked Pimento Cheese Dip with Bacon, and a big bowl of chips. For a kid-friendly lunch or supper, add some fruit, carrot sticks, and Chocolate Rice Krispie Squares for dessert.
Storage
- Refrigerate: Store leftover chicken in a blanket in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm them in the air fryer at 350°F for 2 to 3 minutes or in the oven at 350°F for 5 to 7 minutes to crisp the dough back up. The microwave works in a pinch, but the dough will be softer.
- Make ahead: Wrap the nuggets up to 2 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate on the baking sheet. Brush with butter and bake just before serving, adding a minute or two if needed.
- Freeze: Freeze baked and cooled bites in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in the oven or air fryer until hot in the center.
Kathleen Answers Your Questions
No, as long as you use fully cooked frozen nuggets, they only need to heat through while the dough bakes. I like to zap them in the microwave first so the center gets hot before the dough overbrowns.
I don't recommend it, because the thin crescent dough will be done long before raw chicken reaches a safe 165°F in the center. Instead, cook bite-size cubes of chicken breast first, let them cool completely, and then wrap them just like the nuggets.
This usually happens when the nuggets are too thawed or warm, which releases moisture and softens the dough, or when the bites are crowded too close together on the pan. Use nuggets that are just barely thawed, leave space between each bite, and bake them on the center rack until the bottoms are golden brown.
Yes, crescent dough sheets work great, just cut them into 24 long, narrow triangles since there are no perforations to guide you. Puff pastry can be used, too, but it puffs up more and may need a slightly different bake time, so keep an eye on it until it's golden and flaky.
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Chicks in a Blanket (with Crescent Roll Dough)
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 very small frozen chicken nuggets (also called popcorn chicken)
- 1 8 ounce can refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or honey mustard (optional)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease it, line it with parchment paper or lightly grease the baking sheet.
- To make sure the frozen chicken nuggets finish cooking at the same time as the crescent roll dough gets done, either microwave the nuggets at HIGH for 1 minute or plan ahead and leave them to thaw slightly at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.Tip: This helps the frozen chicken to heat all the way to the center without over-browning the crescent roll dough.
- Unroll the crescent roll dough on the counter or a cutting board.
- If using the mustard, spread the mustard over the dough before separating the triangles.
- Cut along the perforated edges of the triangles to separate them with a pizza cutter or knife.
- Then, starting at the narrow tips, cut each triangle into three thinner triangles. This will give you 24 narrow triangle strips of dough.
- Place one chicken nugget on the widest end of a strip of dough and roll up toward the narrow end. Place it, point side down, on the prepared baking sheet.
- Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough strips and chicken nuggets.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the dough with melted butter.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown and the chicken registers 165F when an instant read thermometer is inserted in the center.
- Remove them from the baking sheet and serve warm with your favorite dipping sauces.
- Yield: 24 appetizer or snack bites.
Notes
- Nugget size. Very small nuggets (popcorn chicken) work best. I preferred Tyson Fully Cooked Popcorn Chicken. Cut larger nuggets in half.
- Chicken Breast. You can also used 1 inch cubes of cooked or grilled chicken breast meat.
- Mustard is optional. Skip the Dijon for kids or picky eaters, or swap in honey mustard.
- Air fryer instructions. Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes at 350F. Arrange the wrapped nuggets in a single layer with space between them, working in batches if needed. Air fry at 350°F for 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and the chicken reaches 165°F in the center.
- Feed a crowd. Double the recipe for a party, keeping the second can of crescent dough in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
- Storage. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer or oven at 350°F until warmed through and crisp.
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
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