Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

I was looking for something good to make for dinner one night and didn't have all the ingredients for any of the recipes I found online.  Tell me that happens to other people too!  Anyway, I didn't feel like going through the entire ordeal of getting the kids dressed, shoed and in the car just to pick up a few things for dinner, so I improvised.  The results were pretty amazing!

Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 package of bacon
1/4 package of cream cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano to taste.

Instructions:
1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  To prepare the stuffing, saute the chopped onions and minced garlic in a tsp of olive oil.  Remove from heat when onions are transparent.  Combine cream cheese, mozzarella, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and the sauteed onion and garlic mixture in a bowl.  Stir well and set aside.

3.  Cut a pocket into the largest portion of the chicken breast, careful not to cut all the way through. 

4.  Carefully fill the cavity with the stuffing mixture using a spoon.

5.  Now for the fun part.  Wrap the chicken breast with bacon strips.  Be sure you cover the opening thoroughly or the stuffing mixture will escape!  It took about five pieces of bacon to completely cover each chicken breast.  If you have any bacon ends exposed, place a toothpick through the bacon and into the chicken breast.  If you do not keep it down, it will curl and singe in the oven. 

6.  Bake for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your chicken breasts.  Mine were very thick, so it took an hour.

I served this chicken with herb and butter rice, green beans sauteed with garlic, and some toasted bread with butter, garlic, and oregano.

We're a BIG garlic family, if you haven't figured it out.