Click ==> To jump to this RECIPE
BACON-WRAPPED
CHICKEN WITH TOMATO, SPINACH, FETA AND CREAM CHEESE
After stuffing the chicken breasts, they
are sprinkled with seasoning salt and wrapped in semi-cooked bacon and baked! I am certain you will enjoy it as we did. I can't go back to boring chicken breasts. It's fun to doctor them and make them more interesting. Now add a couple of veggie sides and you're away to the races as they say! Here are the veggie sides pictured in the photo. Muenster Mushroom Sandwich Casserole and Squash Casserole to feed a Crowd.
The filling of tomato, spinach, feta and cream cheese keeps the chicken moist on the inside and the bacon keeps the chicken moist on the outside! You couldn't hope for a more flavorful stuffing for chicken breasts, and not to mention that vegetables are being hidden in there, too.
Of course, you can customize the filling to suit what you have in your house. Use your imagination and have fun!
I rarely use a thermometer to get super accurate with my chicken. I slice into it and if it is white throughout, it is cooked! However, 165°F (74°C) is what you are aiming for in the thickest part of one of the chicken breasts.
This is a very low-carb meal, so you can add some fun sides to round out the meal. If you do Intermittent Fasting (16:8 hour ratio), you can actually have more carbs, as the calories will naturally be lower for the day. I find 4 weeks of doing that and I can lose 4 to 5 lbs most often, and normally it is very difficult for me to lose weight. Stuffed chicken breasts take ordinary baked chicken breasts up a few notches in flavor and added interest.
Ingredients:
16 slices bacon
3.3 lbs chicken breasts (1.5
kg)
(4 large chicken breasts)
4 oz cream cheese, (125 g)
softened
1/2 cup chopped, frozen spinach, (125 mL)
thawed or semi-thawed
1/2 cup finely chopped tomato, OR use sun-dried tomatoes (yum!) (125 mL)
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese (125 mL)
1 tsp dried oregano (5 mL)
1/2 tsp black pepper (2 mL)
Montreal® Chicken seasoning, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat
oven to 350°F
(180°C).
In
two nonstick frying pans with lids, fry 8 slices bacon in each, covered, over
medium heat until the bacon is just beginning to brown slightly or until it is
still very flexible. Remove from heat.
Remove
any bits of bone from chicken breasts.
Pat dry with paper towels (do not rinse…been proven too dangerous as it
can spread bacteria around). Slice
longitudinally in half and not all the way through, just as though were going
to butterfly the chicken breast. Set
aside.
In
medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese (I usually nuke mine briefly in a
covered container), spinach, tomato, Feta cheese, oregano and black
pepper. Roughly divide the filling into
four.
Stuff
each chicken breast with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle each breast on both sides with
Montreal® Chicken
seasoning. Wrap each chicken breast with
4 slices of bacon. Place in 9 x 13-inch
(23 x 33 cm) casserole dish and bake 30 to 45 minutes (usually it is the
latter time or more if your chicken breasts are thick). Cut one of the breasts
open and make sure the breasts are white throughout (no pink inside).
Yield: 6 servings
1
serving
496.5
calories
77.1
g protein
17.3
g fat
0.7 g fiber
3.0
g net carbs