Bacon Stuffed Chicken with Tomato and Bell Pepper Sauce

Bacon is good. Bacon wrapped or stuffed into something is good. I realized that I haven't made anything involving bacon on this blog. I needed to remedy that situation asap. So last Wednesday after getting my errands done and over with too a little side trip to the grocery and bought myself a package of bacon. I have plans for this delicious bacon aside from reminiscing the many bacon-filled sandwiches I had as a child.

So I cook and cut them into bits, letting them rest on a paper towel. I butterflied a chicken breast and pounded it lightly making it a little bigger. Then laid some finely chopped garlic, cheese and bacon bits and rolled it up as tight as I could.  and secured it with a piece of skewer. I basted the chicken lightly with the bacon fat, but you can use some olive oil, if you'd like.

While that baked, I made a simple bell pepper and tomato sauce that I pureed in a blender after cooking to give it that creamy texture. The sauce is also great with pasta.

I served this with a side of roasted basil baby potatoes. Nothing special in that on. Just a simple toss in olive oil and minced basil and roasted it at the same time as the chicken. 




Bacon Stuffed Chicken 


1 large chicken breast
3 bacon strips - cut into pieces
2 large garlic cloved - finely chopped
Shredded cheese (your choice)
salt
pepper
extra virgin olive oil
Tomato and Bell Pepper Sauce (recipe below)

Preheat your oven to 375?F

Cook the bacon in a skillet until brown and the fat renders out. Remove the bacon bits with a slotted spoon and place onto a paper towel to drain the excess fat.

Butterfly the chicken breast and lay it between two piece of plastic wrap. Lightly pound it into a thinner piece. But do not pound it too much. or the meat will begin to tear.

Season both side with some salt and pepper. Lay the chicken fillet flat spread the garlic, bacon, and cheese generously, the carefully roll. Use a toothpick or skewer to hold the chicken's shape. Lightly baste the chicken with the bacon fat or olive oil and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.


Tomato and Bell Pepper Sauce

1 yellow bell pepper
2 medium tomatoes - chopped
2 Tbsp fresh basil - finely chopped
1 tsp dry oregano
2 green onions - finely chopped
salt
pepper


Saute the green onion and bell pepper in some olive oil. Cook until tender. Then add the tomatoes. Season with a little salt and pepper. Remove from the heat then puree the mixture in the blender, food processor or hand blender. Or you can leave it as chunky sauce.