Homemade Savory Non-Cinnamon Rolls [chicken/bacon/veggie]

I'm so thankful to live in this internet-laden age; the ideas — and more importantly the recipes — of the world are at my fingertips! No sense in letting that blessing go to waste. Though I'm a not at all a strict recipe follower, but I routinely check out cooking blogs for inspiration and methodology. I am somewhat choosy about them; a blog really has to earn my trust. Some of my go-to sites are The Kitchn, Nourished Kitchen (though mostly I have to just dream of when I can buy better/fancier ingredients) Smitten Kitchen (wow I like a lot of kitchens), very occasionally Sally's Baking Addiction, anything at all in the world by Alton Brown, and most frequently as of late, The Pioneer Woman. 

Her show isn't my favorite, but her blog is always on point. Ree Drummond is clever, sassy, and takes lovely photographs of each step of her processes. Her recipes never fail me, and even when they do, the mess-ups are delectable. One time I decided to make her corn chowder when Bryan was really sick. The picture part of the blog had a slightly different description than the printable version's description at the bottom, and I didn't notice the amount of chipotle peppers listed in the ingredients list. So, I dumped the entire 4 oz. can in the pot when it called for 2–3 peppers... I realized the mistake after a few minutes and fished them out, but the spicy adobo sauce was already integrated. It caused some anxiety, but the soup was still good. SPICY, but good. We evened it out a bit by adding some white rice in our individual bowls. Bryan loved it. Plus it helped to clear his sinuses! He has since insisted that I mess up the recipe every time. 

But let's get on to the meat of this post. (MEAT, get it?! BECAUSE THESE ARE MEAT-FILLED)

front: the almost realized state; back: cheesy nirvana end goal

Over Christmas break, I finally delved into a region of Pioneer Woman's world that I had both desired and feared: sweet rolls. I had heard grand things about the recipe, so I made sure to prepare well by reading the recipe and the helpful hints blog multiple times in the days approaching Bake Day. My first attempt was at Bryan's mom's house, and she was super helpful in the lengthy process. They were a smash! So I decided to make a batch for my family as well, just a few days later. Along with the original cinnamon rolls, I made the caramel apple version. SO GOOD. My sweet and delusional betrothed stated "I don't like cinnamon rolls that much." before these events and changed his tune shortly (immediately) thereafter. 

Basically, go make those rolls. Any of them. All of them. They aren't very difficult. 

While pondering what to make over the weekend I'd be visiting Bryan for our combo anniversary/Valentine's/his birthday crammed celebration(s), I thought fondly of our fairly recent holiday roll endeavor. Perhaps a chocolate variety was in order, or maybe something with fresh fruit. (Side note: I made both of those varieties over the weekend as well; improvised a bit with a dark hot chocolate cream cheese icing for the chocolate pecan one.) I also thought about Bryan's sad kitchen — severely lacking in pots/pans/mixing bowls and often in worthwhile food at large. When I visit, I tend to fill the freezer with chicken spaghetti or something so that edible options are at least accessible. But alas, my thoughts were on a roll (heh heh), so the thing that occurred to me was a savory version of Pioneer Woman's tried and true sweet rolls. 

A THING THAT HAS NEVER BEEN ATTEMPTED. 

or a thing that I didn't look hard enough on the internet to find

Either way, I was excited. And Bryan was too, both for the rolls and for the chance to be my food photographer. And an exciting role if you're a film guy.

Ok I'll stop with the puns. Maybe..

Chicken Bacon Veggie Rolls

Hardware

- big pot or large dutch oven (for dough)
- large skillet
- medium saucepan
- rolling pin
- 4–5 nine inch round pans or pans of equal capacity

Ingredients

Dough (adapted from Pioneer Woman's sweet roll base; THIS IS A HALF BATCH)
- 1 pint Whole Milk
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
- (scant) ½ cup Sugar (mixing brown and white is groovy, and ⅓+ish cup would probably be fine)
- 1 package Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets
- 4 cups (Plus ½ Cup Extra, Reserved) All-purpose Flour (using half whole wheat might work?)
- ½ teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
- ½ Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Filling
- ½ or more of a (16 oz.) package of bacon, cooked to crispy and grease reserved
- 2 medium/largeish onions, chopped (I used sweet yellow, but whatever tickles your goat is fine)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1½ or 2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped into small cubes or shredded
- Spices (totally customizable by you; mine are listed below)
- (optional) Hot sauce
- 5–8 Tablespoons of oil/fat of choice (I used a butter and coconut oil combo; at least some butter is highly recommended)
- (optional) shredded cheese of some variety (I forgot this on this batch but want to add next time)
Cheesy garlic sauce
- 3–4 Tablespoons butter
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 to 1-½ cups shredded melty cheese of choice (I used monterey jack)
- 3–4 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
- 1ish(?) cup of milk (whatever kind; from a cow is suggested)
- Spices (homemade taco seasoning is suggested and I'm obsessed with this spice mix recipe from this crunchwrap supreme taco sauce, but a garlic/paprika/cayenne/cumin/pepper/salt combo would be fine)
- (optional) Tabasco Chipotle or other hot sauce

Step 1: Prepare the dough. 

I don't have pictures of this part, but Pioneer Woman has many. I prepared the dough base like hers BUT I lessened the sugar and included a little brown sugar because I'm a rebel. Then I refrigerated the dough for a while, as she suggests but often does not do in her recipe. I made a half batch for the savory rolls.

Step 2: Prepare the filling.

I highly recommend having all your ingredients chopped and ready before adding to the pan, or recruit a darling assistant and tell him/her that licking the garlic cheese sauce pan is payment.

I chopped all the garlic I needed for both the filling and the sauce, all in all about 5 cloves.

I would actually cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Shredding would be good.

Start by warming some of that delectable leftover bacon grease in a nice large skillet over medium high heat. Throw in the onions and both peppers for a few minutes to get going and begin to soften, then add the garlic.

Let this cook long enough to thoroughly soften the veggies but not caramelize or obliterate anything. Stir occasionally for the first bit, and add some salt. If you wish to take a brief repose in this process, turn the burner down to just below medium and cover the pan for a few minutes. Then stir some more and add the chicken.

The chicken I used was rather dry, so I thought now was a good time to add a little extra flavor and moisture. AKA, bacon grease. Maybe about a tablespoon? I don't know; I mostly don't measure.  

Tasty, artery-clogging bacon grease. USE SPARINGLY, FOLKS. Seriously. I mean it. Then, spice it up so the flavors can mingle and tingle for a while. 

Bryan said I should use gifs because it would help to one-up Pioneer Woman. Also because he took so many (awesome!) pictures.

Then he got all artsy and took all the spices away to do this.

While the chicken, veggies, and spices get to know each other for a bit, prep the bacon for incorporation. I like to always put my just-out-of-the-pan bacon on a paper towel to drain off just  a bit of the grease. If you've done the same, it's a snap to pick up the paper towel(s), quickly crush the bacon into smallish bits, then dump into the pan. 

Give it all a big stir, then taste. 

What a well-represented bite.

Spice to your liking; it will probably need it. Then turn the burner off and move the pan if you're using an induction cooktop. Cooling at least a little before adding to the dough is important. Now is probably a good time to heat the oven up to 375.

Step 3: Roll the dough.

Time to give your dough a little lovin'. MAKE SURE you flour the rolling surface VERY WELL. Tears in the dough are a source of unreasonable anxiety in my life.  

Why hello, my puffed up pretty.

I suggest starting the dough in a somewhat flattened log form before hitting it with a rolling pin. It's going to be pretty large and super long, and a thick middle is no good. 

I should mention that my beloved betrothed bought both a big (extremely cheap) pot and a rolling pin to help make this all happen. What a gem. 

While you're rolling, go ahead and put an oil of choice into a pan over low heat. I used butter and coconut oil, but just butter would be fine. I thought about adding a bit of bacon grease but I really just had to draw a line somewhere on the heavy animal fat use. I used about 3 Tbs. each of butter and coconut oil. Pioneer Woman uses about a whole stick of butter here, but with the savory ingredients coming instead of sprinkled sugar, I thought less would be fine. And it was.

Melt a little extra butter at this point — maybe a tablespoon or so — for greasing the pans. Swoosh that around and make sure the bottoms are all covered. Modesty is imperative. Just like in the school systems. 

My half batch made 5 pans, but 4 might have worked.

Sometimes while rolling our dough in an oversized hoodie, your sleeve can fall tragically and ya gotta reach out to your cameraperson/fiancé to help push it back because floury hands are super inconvenient. Just uh, watch out for that. 

Once it's nice and even and big, carefully pour your melted oil(s) onto the dough. Spread it around nice and evenly all over.

Hands are best for this job.

Once you've got the oil all spread out, pause and behold the glory. 

Step 4: Add the filling.

Spread out all the filling across the dough. Make sure it's evenly spread, and make sure that you get the left and ride end sections covered. It would be tragic to have empty end pieces. I forgot to add shredded cheese in this particular batch, but I intended to and it would be great. Blindly recommending it to you!

 

So large and tasty-looking.

Now it's time to roll. Start at one end and curl it up carefully, moving across like an old school typewriter or how cartoon characters always eat ears of corn.

Once it's nice and rolled, fold up the far end and pinch to seal.

Step 5: Slice, place, and bake.

Roll the whole thing over atop the newly pinched seal to prevent a seam disaster. Then, take a sharp knife and cut the rolls; do whatever size makes your spirit sing. I would suggest under an inch per roll because they will be getting a second rise. 

Place these lovelies into those greased pans with some room in between.

Then, cover your pans with clean towels and set in a warmish place for about 20 minutes or so. They should rise and look even more tantalizing. 

Ooh baby. You so raw.

After the second rise, pop those suckers into the oven. I set my original time for 17 minutes, but I ended up adding another 8–10 because the oven cooks unevenly. Huzzah for cheap apartments. Try 16–18 minutes to start and then start checking on it every 3–5. 

Step 6: Get saucy.

While they are cooking, you can prepare the cheese sauce. 

Start by melting the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and slightly die of the goodness of that smell. Then turn the heat down to avoid crisping the garlic. Add the softened cream cheese and a bit of milk; stir until mostly incorporated, then add the cheese. It will probably clump up, but persevere in your stirring. Add milk to it slowly to thin the mixture and spread out the hunk of melty cheese. Add in some homemade amazing taco seasoning or a mix of some spices, maybe a tablespoon or so. I also added some additional garlic powder and a bit more of cumin in unknown quantities. (Like I mentioned before, I cook instinct, not with measuring devices.) If you're feeling spicy — and I hope you are — add some hot sauce. I highly recommend using tabasco Chipotle for a little smokiness. Stir stir stir over medium low heat and adjust with milk until the consistency is pourable but not runny. Keep on low until the rolls are done. 

Step 7: Finish the job.

When those beauties are a nice golden brown on top, they are ready. Pull them out of the oven and immediately add the sauce while the rolls are hot. 

Make sure to spread the cheese so that it's in every nook and cranny of the rolls. Get it in there around the edges, all up in those rolls' businesses. Delight in that garlicy goodness.

Let them cool a little before digging in, or don't. These freeze really well, so that's an option if you don't want to share. 

Big shoutout to Bryan Campbell for being an on-point, albeit excessive, cameraman.