Eat.Live.Blog.

I have a problem. When I have a slab of bacon in the fridge it is game over. Everything WILL be made with bacon. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I think not. Plus, when you add spinach, it completely counter-acts the bacon, right?

This week, I wanted to try to only by my meats and use everything else from my pantry. So this stuffed chicken breast seemed like the perfect idea. Meatballs and roasted chicken also made the menu. All three of these recipes, while looking lengthy, really use staples that people usually have on hand. Don’t you hate it when recipes “say” they are using things you have on hand, and then list something like milk-weed in the ingredients?

I am not going to act like this is an incredibly inventive and brand new idea. I will just say that it is delicious and worth trying. You may want to also mark this as a potluck recipe, because the stuffing that you put in the chicken, that stuff is GOOD! It can easily be used as a dip with some tortilla chips for a great potluck dish! I have actually put it on my list for the next potluck I attend. I am thinking instead of mixing the bacon into the dip though, I will crust the top of the dip. And now I am drooling…

Bacon & Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast

Ingredients

• 2 split, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 slices of thick cut bacon (diced)
• 1 large garlic clove (chopped)
• 3 oz fresh baby spinach
• 3 oz cream cheese (I use low fat)
• 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup fresh shredded parmesan
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper + 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4  tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp of your favorite all-seasoning (I use Adobo)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg (beaten, in a bowl you can dip your chicken into)
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• Cooking spray
• 6 wooden toothpicks

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Add your diced bacon to a hot frying pan
• Cook bacon until crispy and use a slotted spoon to remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate

  

• Set bacon aside
• Pour out bacon grease until only about 1 tbsp of grease remains in the pan
• Place pan over medium-high heat and add garlic
• Cook garlic until it begins to become translucent
• Add spinach to the pan, tossing to coat the spinach
• Continue to stir the spinach until it wilts down to approximately 1/2 cup
• Place spinach in a mixing bowl and set aside
• Meanwhile, mix together salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and paprika
• Sprinkle the seasoning onto both sides of both chicken breasts and rub in the seasoning
• Take a small, sharp knife, and make a horizontal slit length-wise through the middle of the chicken, this is where you will place the stuffing
• Go back to the spinach and stir in the cream cheese, parmesan, 1/4 tsp pepper, and bacon
• Stuff each chicken breast with half of the spinach mixture
• Close the opening of the chicken with the wooden toothpicks
• Pour flour onto a flat plate
• Place the beaten egg next to the plate
• Mix the panko w/ the all-seasoning and place them onto a flat plate and place that on the other side of the egg, so you have an assembly line
• Place your baking dish at the end of the assembly line and spray it with cooking spray
• Carefully take a stuffed breast and place it on the flour, turn over so both sides are coated
• Place the breast in the egg, turn over so both sides are coated
• Place the breast in the panko, turn over so both sides are coated
• Place the breast in the baking pan
• Repeat with the 2nd breast
• Spray the top of both breasts with cooking spray
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it in the oven for 12 minutes
• Remove the foil and cook for another 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through
• When chicken is done, move to a serving plate and REMOVE THE TOOTHPICKS
• Enjoy!