This post may contain affiliate links.
Monterey Chicken gets a fun, handheld twist in these easy crescent roll ups, stuffed with BBQ coated chicken, crispy bacon, and melty colby jack cheese. They are the kind of fast, cheesy dinner my girls cheer for, and they come together in about 25 minutes with rotisserie chicken and a can of crescent dough. They work as a quick weeknight dinner or a party appetizer everyone grabs. If you love easy chicken dinners, our honey garlic chicken is another weeknight favorite.
The combo of smoky BBQ, salty bacon, and gooey cheese wrapped in flaky golden pastry is pure comfort food.
Monterey Chicken Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 roll ups
- ⚡ Calories: 246kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Smoky, cheesy, and savory with BBQ chicken, bacon, and melty cheese
- ✋ Difficulty: Beginner easy, faster than our cheesy fried chicken
Quick Answer
Cook the bacon until crispy and toss shredded rotisserie chicken with BBQ sauce. Roll out crescent dough and pinch two triangles together into a rectangle. Add a little BBQ sauce, a slice of bacon, a portion of chicken, and shredded colby jack cheese. Fold the sides over and pinch closed to form a roll up. Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 12 minutes until golden brown.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Rotisserie chicken shortcut. Using shredded rotisserie chicken means no cooking the chicken, so these come together in minutes.
- That Monterey flavor combo. BBQ sauce, bacon, and melty cheese give you the classic Monterey chicken flavor in an easy handheld form.
- Crescent dough does the work. Flaky, buttery crescent roll dough bakes up golden around the filling with zero effort.
- Ready in 25 minutes. With just 5 minutes of prep and about 20 in the oven, this is a true weeknight winner.
- Dinner or appetizer. Serve them as a quick family dinner with a salad, or as a crowd pleasing party appetizer.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They deliver smoky BBQ, bacon, and melty cheese in a flaky handheld package.
- They come together in about 25 minutes with rotisserie chicken and crescent dough.
- They are a guaranteed crowd pleaser, right next to our loaded game day nachos.
Key Ingredients
Just five easy ingredients come together for these Monterey chicken roll ups.
- Crescent roll dough: The flaky, buttery wrapper that bakes up golden around the filling.
- Rotisserie chicken: Already cooked and shredded, it makes these roll ups fast and easy.
- BBQ sauce: Coats the chicken and adds smoky, tangy flavor. Use your favorite.
- Bacon: Cooked crispy and tucked inside for salty crunch.
- Colby jack cheese: Melts into the filling for that gooey, cheesy bite.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These roll ups are easy to customize.
- Swap the colby jack for cheddar, Monterey jack, or pepper jack for a little heat.
- Use leftover grilled or shredded chicken in place of rotisserie chicken.
- Add diced jalapenos, green onions, or a sprinkle of ranch seasoning to the filling.
- Serve them with extra BBQ sauce or ranch for dipping, like we do with our loaded nachos.
How to Make Monterey Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook the bacon until crispy. Toss the shredded chicken with BBQ sauce. Pinch two crescent triangles into a rectangle, then add BBQ sauce, a slice of bacon, a portion of chicken, and shredded cheese.
- Fold the sides of the dough over the filling and pinch to seal into a roll up. Repeat until you have four roll ups and place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, until the roll ups are puffed and golden brown. Serve warm with extra BBQ sauce for dipping.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Pinch the seams well so the cheesy filling stays inside while the roll ups bake.
- Do not overfill the dough, or the roll ups can burst open in the oven.
- Use room temperature dough for a few minutes so it is easy to pinch and fold.
- Cook the bacon extra crispy since it softens slightly once baked inside the dough.
- Brush the tops with butter or egg wash for an even more golden, glossy finish.
- Serve right away while the cheese is melty, with BBQ sauce or ranch for dipping.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These Monterey chicken roll ups are great as a quick weeknight dinner with a simple green salad or a side of fruit, and the kids love them because they are handheld and fun to eat.
They also shine as a party appetizer, so pile them on a platter with little bowls of BBQ sauce and ranch for dipping, right next to our loaded game day nachos.
Leftovers reheat well in the air fryer or oven to crisp the pastry back up, making them a great make ahead lunch too.
Monterey Chicken FAQs
You can assemble the roll ups a few hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake. For the flakiest pastry, bake them just before serving. Leftovers reheat well in the oven or air fryer.
Shredded rotisserie chicken is the easiest and most flavorful option, but any cooked shredded or chopped chicken works, including leftover grilled or baked chicken breast.
Yes. Puff pastry or refrigerated biscuit dough both work. Adjust the bake time as needed, baking until the pastry is puffed and golden brown all over.
Pinch the seams firmly to seal, do not overfill, and place them seam side down on the baking sheet. A little cheese leakage is normal and still tastes great.
Serve them with a green salad, fresh fruit, coleslaw, or veggie sticks for dinner, or with BBQ sauce and ranch for dipping as an appetizer.
Yes. Freeze the baked, cooled roll ups in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen in a 350 degree oven or air fryer until heated through and crisp.
Made these Monterey chicken roll ups? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below and tell me what you dipped them in!
Monterey Chicken Roll Ups
Ingredients
- 1 can crescent roll dough
- 1 Cup rotisserie chicken shredded
- BBQ sauce of your choice
- 4 slices bacon cooked crispy
- 1 Cup colby-jack shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook bacon until crispy, set aside.
- Add bbq sauce to shredded chicken until coated, set aside.
- Roll out crescent roll dough and taking two of the rolls, pinch the seams together to form a rectangle. Add a little bbq sauce, then place 1 piece of bacon, 1/4 of the chicken and 1/4 of the cheese on top. Fold the sides over and pinch to close. Repeat until you have four roll ups.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes until golden brown. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
I think the size of chicken breasts has changed dramatically since Julia Child’s day, which could account for some of her shorter cook time.
looks yummy. can’t wait to try it
Wow! I like how this recipe is super simple but could easily become a family favorite! Thanks for sharing at the Wonderful Wednesday blog hop 🙂
This looks really good! Adding it to my recipe mix. Visiting from Wow Me Wednesday.