Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I just love cooking with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They're very versatile and there is no limit to the manner of ways in which you can dress them up!

You must be really careful when you are cooking them, mind . . . for an overcooked chicken breast, dry and tasteless has about as much flavour and as much texture as an old boot . . . and it has taken me years of experimentation to get my cooking times down pat.



A tasty piece of chicken breast is the perfect canvas on which to paint a delicious dinner. This recipe, for example shows you how, with just a few additional ingredients, you can create a dinner that is sumptuous and special enough to serve to your honey on an intimate occasion. It's very easy to increase the quantities though, should you want to serve this to more . . .



I guarantee your honey will love it . . .



hmm . . . you may want to double it anyways . . . just in case.



They do say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. ☺

♥ ♥ ♥ I heartily concur ♥ ♥ ♥



*Bacon Wrapped Chicken for Two*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

This is quick delicious and special enough to serve for a intimate dinner a deux! It's also quite easy to double the quantities to serve more than two.

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces crumbled blue stilton
2 heaped TBS chopped toasted walnuts
1 spring onion, finely shredded
4 slices of good quality dry cure smoked streaky bacon
olive oil
1 TBS butter
1 TBS plain flour
4 ounces chicken stock
2 ounces single cream
1 TBS grainy french mustard

Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F. Get out a shallow baking dish large enough to hold two portions. Set aside.

Take your chicken breasts, and using a very sharp knife, cut them in half horizontally, not quite all the way through, so that you can open them up like a book. Pound them lightly with your fist. Season well with salt and pepper on both sides. Divide the spring onion amongst the two pieces, placing it on one half of the book and leaving a bit of a border on the edge. Sprinkle with the blue cheese, in the same way, as well as the toasted walnuts. Bring the other half of the chicken breast over top to cover the filling completely encasing it. Using two strips of bacon per breast, wrap them around the chicken securely. Fasten with toothpicks so that it won't unroll.

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add a touch of olive oil and then brown the chicken breasts on all sides evenly. This will take 5 or 6 minutes. Place the browned breasts into the baking dish and pop them into the oven and roast for 8 to 10 minutes longer or until the juices run clear. Do not overcook.

While they are baking make the sauce as follows.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Cook and stir for about a minute before whisking in the chicken stock. Cook, whisking, until it thickens then wisk in the cream and the mustard. Het through. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Remove your chicken from the oven. Cut in half diagonally and place on heated plates. Drizzle with a bit of the sauce and serve.

Mushroom rice and a tossed salad goes very well with this. Enjoy!