I very rarely make things without following a recipe (besides pasta, omelets, and those simple sorts of things), and perhaps this is why. When left to my own devices, I make a meal that could only be less healthy if I dropped it in the fryer. But, hey, it was to die for.
You see, I had some chicken breasts and some random ingredients in the fridge, and while thinking of ways to use them, and after seeing a bacon-stuffed chicken recipe, I came up with the idea to stuff the chicken with some bacon and cheddar cheese.
Cheddar-And-Bacon-Stuffed Chicken Breasts (inspired by this Epicurious recipe)
Ingredients
6 slices bacon
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, if desired
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Cook bacon on stove in oven-safe skillet until cooked but not crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Flatten chicken breasts to about 1/4- to 1/8-inch thickness, and lightly season with salt and pepper.
Spread a teaspoon of Dijon mustard on each chicken breast, if desired.
Lay three pieces of bacon on each chicken breast, and top the bacon with the cheddar cheese.
Roll up each chicken breast, being careful to keep the bacon and cheddar tucked inside, and secure each with toothpicks.
Place the chicken rollups back in the pan with bacon grease and cook on the stove over medium heat, turning frequently, just to brown all sides.
Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Feel free to baste the chicken with some of the bacon grease while it's baking. (I warned you this was not diet food.)
Serve hot, preferably with some of these pretzel rolls.
This is the ultimate in comfort food. What cold-weather comfort foods will you miss as we move into spring? (Spring weather is coming, right?)