Bacon Wrapped Chicken stuffed with cheese and ham

Try this one out sometime...and if you like it come on over to my cooking site
http://cookingwell.weebly.com


While this is similar to a “Chicken Cordon Bleu" it is in my opinion a bit tastier . The nuances found in this are seldom perfected by anyone who would be pompous enough to call a stuffed chicken “Chicken Cordon Bleu" . Enough Talk....lets get to the cooking!

You are going to need the following

Butter

Cooking pan

Rolling pin

BBQ Grill ( NOT Propane)

Real wood charcoal (Royal Oak is your best bet)

Boneless skinless Chicken Breast

Chopped ham

Bacon ( as thick cut as you can find)

Cream cheese

Mozzarella cheese( shredded)

Provolone Cheese

Green Onions

Bacon bits

toothpicks

You will also need whatever your pasta of choice is and at least a six pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon

First set your grill up for indirect cooking. If you are not sure how to do that keep checking my blog . I will be adding some tips on grill setup in the next few days.

Unless you are using a charcoal chimney starter you will be soaking your charcoal 2 times . Start your first soak then open a PBR .

Now go to wherever your prep location is and set out your chicken. You are going to butterfly the chicken breasts . Simply slice the breast lengthways in the middle until you are only have around ¼ inch or so left till its cut in half. Then slice from the bottom of your cut to each side till only ¼ inch or so is left there as well. The end result should work like a trifold wallet. Use the rolling pin to flatten out your creation a bit more.

You will now mix the chopped ham with the cream cheese, onion, and bacon bits. When this is done spread it as even as you can on the inside of your flattened chicken breasts.

You PBR should be empty by now..get another one from the cooler and soak your coals one more time.

Now sprinkle the shredded mozzarella lightly on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Close your chicken back up to as close to its normal shape as you can get and hold it in place with toothpicks. It is important that the toothpicks stick out a bit. That is how you are going to secure the bacon and cheese wrapping your chicken .

Place the provolone cheese over the chicken breasts using the toothpicks sticking out to secure it.

Finish anything left of your PBR .

Go light your grill and get another Beer.

Take your Bacon and wrap the chicken as completely as possible . Once use the toothpicks to secure it.


Here is a little bit of why we are doing something that might seem strange. We are now going to butter up the pan and place the chicken breasts in a pan to cook on a grill. You are probably asking yourself WHY In the name of all that is holy am I putting a pan on a grill. The answer is part of the secret. The bacon grease cooks out and collects in the pan..which keeps the chicken extra moist. We will FINISH the chicken directly on the grill when it is ready to help crisp the bacon.

Now do what I told you and put the chicken in a damn pan and put it on the grill.

Flip it over in the pan when you finish your beer.

Get another Beer, drink that one then move the chicken OUT of the pan to the grill surface .

The Bacon should be almost done at this point but not crispy because it has been kept moist in its own juices . Your goal in putting the chicken on the direct grill is to crisp the bacon and infuse the chicken with a little more smoke .

Sprinkle a healthy dose of shredded Mozzarella cheese on top and let it melt.

Serve over whatever your pasta of choice is. Angle hair works well . A little PASTA ALFREDO sauce can also be used to good effect.

A note on presentation....It has always seemed to me a solid color plate works best black or white.

Remember to put your heart into it and the end result will show it.

 

I did this almost exact recipe a few weeks ago - very very nice and tasty

 

it works well

 

It does indeed

 

:drool5: