Wrapped & Stuffed Chicken

I rarely eat bacon, but I had a few slices leftover from wrapping jalepenos for THIS RECIPE, so I thought I might as well wrap some chicken, too. I also had some fresh herbs and cheese in the fridge, and voila... Wrapped and stuffed chicken!

You'll need:

2 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast

4 bacon slices (2 strips per chicken breast)

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Fresh herbs to taste (I used basil and oregano.)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 tsp. olive oil (for drizzling)

*Makes 2 servings!

First, clean your chicken breasts by trimming off the fat and giving them a good rinse. Pat dry, and lay on your cutting board.

As far as I know, there are two ways to stuff a chicken breast. You can either grab a sharp knife and cut a horizontal slit through the chicken - not all the way, just enough so you have room to cram in the stuffing. Or, you can do it this way...

Place a chicken breast between parchment paper

Smack it with a hard, smooth surface. If you're fancy and have a meat mallet, use that. I used a can of tomato soup. :)

I flattened my chicken to about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. Try to get both pieces to about the same thickness.

Season both sides of the flattened chicken breast with salt and pepper.

This basil and oregano came from my mom's garden. (Thanks, Mom!)

Just sprinkle the herbs onto one half of the chicken.

And pile the shredded cheese on top of that.

Fold the chicken in half so that the herbs and cheese are enclosed.

Wrap with bacon, securing everything with a toothpick or two.

Place in a pan, and drizzle with olive oil. I like to pour some chicken broth or dry, white wine (like Chardonnay) in the dish to keep everything juicy.

Bake for 25-30 minutes on 350 degrees or until the center of the chicken is no longer pink. The bacon will be crispy on top, but the chicken is perfectly moist underneath.

Okay, I'll let you check out the inside!

All the cheese comes oozing out when you slice open the chicken breast. Delish! Soon I'll post the recipe for those creamy mashed potatoes in the picture above. Yum!!