It Doesn't Feel Like Vacation Without Mom's Chicken Roll-Ups

Summertime. A break from Beijing heat. It's the only time of the year I could return to Northern Michigan without worrying about a snowstorm cancelling my travel plans. Once a year, I looked forward to going home to boredom.

For six years, I lived and worked in Beijing, teaching English to little kids. It was a fantastic job that let me live my dream of traveling the world. I don't think I would've traveled as far as I did without working in China.

But sometimes I missed having a special home-cooked meal. Every place I saw had fantastic food. But none ever compared to chicken roll-ups.

From childhood memory to vacation staple

It's not a summer meal. Chicken roll-ups are comfort food for colder days. My mom liked making it because everyone ate until their stomachs nearly burst. My brother and sister would eat most things, but I was the picky eater. When she made chicken roll-ups, I ate more than anyone else.

As a teenager, whenever I asked for chicken roll-ups for dinner, my mom would say yes, as long as I helped. We'd turn up the radio and throw jokes at each other while we rolled the crescent rolls with shredded chicken and cheese.

When we stuffed the last crescent roll, my mom put some cream of chicken soup at the pan's bottom. We placed the rolls inside then sprinkled leftover cheese and shredded chicken on top. Then she poured some extra cream of chicken soup on top before putting the pan in the oven. Any leftover chicken and cheese mix went into a savory gravy.

By the time it came out of the oven, you couldn't tell which one had more cheese and bursting from too much shredded chicken. You had to pick your roll fast. If you moved too slow or grabbed your mashed potatoes and corn first, the rolls could be gone.

The longer I stayed in China, the more I missed chicken roll-up nights. I had as much fun making them as I did eating them.

China had most of the ingredients, but I didn't have anything bigger than a toaster oven. Most apartments in Beijing lacked an actual oven. Making them in the city wasn't an option.

When I went home on vacation every year, chicken roll-up night turned into a yearly tradition. It got better and better with every year.

Was it because I ate it only once a year? Was it the sentiment behind the meal? I have no idea. I know it turned into some of the more fun nights at home.

I haven't had chicken roll-ups in a year

Last year, I left China and moved back to Michigan. I didn't move in with my mom this time. I got engaged and moved in with my fiance and his two children. We went to my mom's house for pizza a couple of times, but we haven't had chicken roll-ups.

Being in a global pandemic lowers my chances of getting chicken roll-ups any time soon. But when that time comes, I'll get there extra early and do more cooking than my mom this time.

I'll be more than happy to buy the tube of Pillsbury crescent rolls, cream of chicken soup, cheese, and boneless chicken, so my mom doesn't have to go anywhere. I'll have a big smile on my face as I cook and shred the chicken for her. I'll mix the chicken, cheese, salt, and pepper into a giant bowl for her.

The most she'll have to do is preheat the oven to 400 degrees and help me stuff the rolls. And after twenty-five minutes, it'll feel like I'm reliving childhood again.