Bacon Wrapped Pesto Chicken

Chicken wrapped in bacon and stuffed with pesto and mozzarella will transform chicken night at your house.  Tender and juicy chicken that only takes 10 minutes to prepare, it couldn’t be easier.

Since my post about bacon wrapped pork tenderloin was such a big hit, I thought I would tell you about an equally delicious and simple recipe that I think you’ll like just as much.  If my husband has anything to say about it, we will be having this again and again, he just loved it, as did I.  Sometimes, it’s difficult to find a way to cook chicken breasts where they aren’t dried out.  The bacon helps, but my secret, especially for thick chicken breasts, is to marinate them in buttermilk.  Even if you only have 30 minutes, I promise you, it will make a difference with any chicken recipe.

For this meal, I picked up the chicken on the way home from work, put them in a ziplock and poured buttermilk over them and just left them on the counter while I changed clothes and went through the mail.  It took no more than 10 minutes to assemble these and get them in the oven, an additional 10 to 20 minutes in the oven and we had the most wonderful dinner.  The bacon adds a smoky flavor to the chicken and the pesto and mozzarella added just enough flavor to make this my new favorite.

These are easier to assemble than you might think.  You just need to cut a pocket into the thicker part of the chicken.  Start at the top of the thicker part and cut a slit, then put the knife in and gently cup a pocket in the chicken.  If you cut all the way through, it’s no big deal but some of the cheese might ooze out.  You won’t be able to use chicken cutlets, you need the full chicken breast.  Once you have the pocket, use your fingers to put in the pesto and cheese.  Wrapping them in two bacon slices keeps everything contained.

One other trick for not over cooking thick chicken breasts, is to use a meat thermometer.  I let them cook to 165º in the thickest part.  It’s hard to tell when a thick chicken breast is done, a meat thermometer takes out all the guess work.  I hope you all enjoy these as much as we did.

Adapted from Will Cook For Smiles

Bacon Wrapped Pesto Chicken

Chicken wrapped in bacon and stuffed with pesto and mozzarella will transform chicken night at your house.  Tender and juicy chicken that only takes 10 minutes to prepare, it couldn’t be easier.  

• Author: Barbara Curry
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Entree

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken breasts
• 1 cup buttermilk
• salt and pepper
• 4 ounces buffalo mozzarella
• 4 tablespoons basil pesto
• 8 slices bacon

Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts in a ziplock bag and pour buttermilk over them. Salt and pepper and let sit for at least 30 minutes. When ready to prepare, remove chicken and rinse. Pat dry with paper towels.
2. Preheat oven to 350º.
3. Carefully slice an opening into the top of the thick part of the chicken breast and cut a pocket. With your fingers, add a tablespoon of pesto to the pocket and stuff slices of cheese in the pocket. Salt the chicken breast. Wrap with two slices of bacon, tucking ends under the bacon rings. Repeat with each breast.
4. Heat oven proof skillet on stove over medium-high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan.
5. Add chicken to hot skillet and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. You are trying to brown the bacon, not cook the chicken. Remove from heat and drain most of the bacon grease. Place skillet in oven.
6. Bake for about 10-20 minutes until a meat thermometer registers 165º at the thickest part. Time will vary depending on how thick the chicken is and how long they cooked on the stove.