After a crazy weekend celebrating one of my best friends wedding, I knew it was time to go back to my healthy lifestyle BUT….I did have some leftover bacon in the freezer, so I thought I would put it to good use. You can wrap ANYTHING in bacon or turkey bacon and have it taste delicious. My husband and my whole family (extended and immediate) hates olives with a passion and if they were wrapped in bacon, I think we could eat them! Which, brings me to my next point: if you’re an olive lover, this page is not for you….you will not find a single recipe that includes them, unless I decide to give wrapping them in bacon a try ;).
Unfortunately, my husband didn’t come home until about 9:30 last night so he didn’t get to enjoy this dish to its fullest since I had dinner ready by 8PM, but even dried out and lukewarm, he said “mmmm”. I decided not to wrap mine in bacon, but I had a bite of his and I can vouch it was blog worthy, so I can only suggest that you make sure your guests arrive on time so that they can enjoy the full effect of the 3 B’s!
Serving Size: 2 People
Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
2 Chicken Breasts (not pounded)
4 Slices of Bacon (or turkey bacon)
Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Oregano
For the Sauce:
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fresh basil
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp brown sugar
Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 450 (I wanted to cook it quicker so if you want the chicken cooked slower, preheat at 425)
2.) Season Chicken with seasoning on both sides
3.) Put Bacon on an ungreased frying pan and cook for about 3 minutes on medium-high on each side – You want to do this to cook the bacon just a little bit so you can still wrap it around the chicken, but just enough so you have grease for the chicken
3.) While oven preheats and bacon cooks, mix the sauce together with a whisk
4.) Line a baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. Wrap two slices of bacon around each chicken breast (careful, they might be hot!) and fasten each slice with a toothpick so they stay put
5.) Place chicken breasts in dish and brush with sauce on both sides, sprinkle with oregano, and top with half of the bacon grease
6.) Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes at 450 or 30 at 425 – Or when the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Halfway through baking, top with the remaining amount of bacon grease
7.) Plate and serve!
Serving Suggestion:
We made with a side salad and rice but I think it would have tasted great with roasted potatoes and asparagus. Additionally, with the balsamic and bacon, a great dry Chianti would be a wonderful accompaniment for fellow vino lovers.
CHEF IN THE WORKS 