This 4-ingredient Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast is stuffed with chive and onion cream cheese for an easy dinner that tastes delicious and looks impressive!
4tablespoonschive and onion cream cheese (or more, as desired)
1tablespoonbutter, chilled and diced into very small pieces
8slicesbacon (not thick-cut)
Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley or chives
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil; set a metal cooling rack on top.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Spread about 1-2 tablespoons of cream cheese on a chicken breast and dot with about ¼ of the butter. Roll up and wrap with 2 slices of bacon; secure with toothpicks if necessary. Place seam-side down on the rack on top of the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
Adjust the oven to BROIL on high. Place the chicken about 6 inches from the heat and broil until the bacon is crisp, about 3 more minutes. Keep a close eye on the chicken, since the bacon can burn quickly.
Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or chives, if desired.
Notes
Pounding the chicken flat makes it easier to stuff and roll, and helps the meat cook evenly. For this recipe, you don't need to make it quite as flat as you normally would for chicken cutlets. You want the chicken breast a little bit thicker (about ½-inch thick) so that the meat doesn't dry out in the oven while the bacon finishes crisping.
Line the baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup), then set a wire rack on top. Baking the stuffed chicken on top of the rack allows the bacon grease to drip down so that the bacon gets crispy on all sides.
Since the bacon might not be completely crispy by the time the chicken is done, broil the stuffed chicken breast for a few extra minutes. Just keep a close eye on the bacon, because it can burn quickly under the broiler!
You can tell the chicken is done by slicing into the meat. If it looks white all of the way through (no pink), then it's ready. The juices should run clear. If you don't want to slice into your chicken, a meat thermometer comes in very handy. The chicken is cooked through when it reaches an internal temperature of 165° F.