BACON-WRAPPED STUFFED CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND MOZZARELLA
This chicken is melt-in-your mouth tender with this method of brushing the chicken with salted butter on the inside before stuffing and on top after wrapping with bacon. The bacon is also a fabulous way to keep the chicken juicy and tender while infusing the chicken with amazing flavor. My husband likes bacon so much, so I am pretty much assured of a positive reaction when I use it in recipes like this.
Besides mushrooms I used onions, garlic, cheese and seasonings in the filling. I used Mozzarella cheese, but I think Swiss cheese would be good as well.
It is best to pre-cook the bacon as it will not cook completely in the oven. You need to help it along, but the tick is to cook it only to the point where it is still pliable, so that you can wrap it around the chicken breasts without difficulty. If it is still not done to your liking at the end of cooking, put the chicken under the broiler on high for a brief while. Keep an eye on it!
This is such an appetizing meal and super easy to make. I think it will meet with your family's approval. It is a special meal that could even be served to company.
If necessary, you can use a toothpick or two to keep the chicken breasts closed, but I didn't actually find it necessary. Serve with broccoli on the side or a complex salad. or any green salad, or cauliflower rice or whatever vegetable you love. You can garnish the cooked chicken with bits of fresh parsley, if desired or as in my case, fresh chopped cilantro, which grows wild in my garden. It is pretty useful for me as I live far from the nearest supermarket and don't always have the luxury of fresh parsley or other fresh herbs on hand.
I used 12 slices of bacon which means 3 slices per chicken breast which was more than enough. You could in a pinch get away with 2 slices of bacon per chicken breast. The carbohydrates are moderate due to the fact that there are only 4 servings and a whole pound of mushrooms was used plus onion. All good carbohydrates though. This juicy bacon-wrapped chicken is bound to be a hit.
You can play with this recipe
and use Swiss cheese or Feta or even goats cheese. I like the original
recipe as written but recipes like this lend themselves to
customization. You can test the chicken for whether it is cooked
through with an instant-read thermometer, but seasoned cooks simply cut
the chicken and if it is white throughout, it is done!
I cook the onions and mushrooms in a large skillet. You can melt butter in the skillet or use olive oil as I did or a combo of both. The cooled mushroom mixture is wonderful with the cheese mixed into it.
If you want crispy bacon, then make sure you cook the bacon beforehand to just before it is no longer pliable.
INGREDIENTS:
4 large chicken breasts
2 tbsp butter, melted (30 mL)
3/4 tsp salt (3 mL)
12 slices bacon, cooked but
still pliable.
Filling:
3 tbsp olive oil (45 mL)
1 lb fresh sliced mushrooms (0.45
kg)
1/2 cup chopped onion (125 mL)
1 tsp crushed garlic (5 mL)
1/2 tsp seasoning salt (2 mL)
1/2 tsp Italian herb seasoning (2 mL)
1/8 tsp black pepper (0.5 mL)
2 cups shredded Mozzarella
cheese (500 mL)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat
oven to 350°F (180°C).
Carefully
slice the chicken breasts open down their length, butterfly-style (not all the
way through to the other edge). Open each breast along the fold.
Cover with plastic wrap and with meat mallet (or heavy can of food) pound the
chicken breasts until they are thinner all over.
In
small bowl, combine melted butter and salt. Brush salted butter over
inside of chicken breasts, keeping some in reserve for brushing over top of the
chicken breasts.
Filling: In
nonstick frying pan in olive oil, over medium heat, stir-fry mushrooms and
onion. When onions are softening, add garlic and cook a while
longer. Sprinkle with seasoning salt, Italian herb seasoning and black
pepper. Place in bowl and allow to cool. When cool, stir in
Mozzarella cheese.
Fill chicken breasts with mushroom cheese mixture and fold over top flap of chicken breast to cover filling. Wrap 3 pieces of prepared bacon around each chicken breast and place in a 2-quart (2 L) casserole dish. Brush with salted butter again. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (white throughout and not pink). Broil 3 minutes on high if bacon is not quite done to your liking.
Yield: 4 servings
1
serving
588.0
calories
59.8
g protein
38.5
g fat
1.8 g fiber
8.0
g net carbs