Bacon wrapped chicken – why it is so good
Bacon wrapped chicken – the why. Wrapping bacon around a chicken breast really helps it stay moist when you cook it. Chicken breast is very lean and therefore tends to dry out quickly if not protected from the direct heat source. Crumbing it is always an option, but bacon wrapping it gives it so much more flavour.
When you put this together, don’t worry about using toothpicks to hold it all together. Just put the joint side down first to seal together and be a bit more careful when turning them over. Then there will be no nasty surprises when you come to eat it.
This is an amazing dish to cook the day before. Literally cover the finished dish with foil, pop it in the fridge. The next night, take it out and put it into the oven just as you turn it on. It’s a great way of having a meal made ahead for when you know you’re going to be busy. Or late home from work.
Chickpeas are a great source of fibre and are really filling. I always have a couple of tins of them in the pantry. Yes, you can buy the dried ones and soak them overnight. But if you are like me, I always forget and that’s a pain when you’re in a hurry.
Bacon wrapped chicken with garlic chickpeas
Equipment
- non stick 26cm pan
Ingredients
- Bacon wrapped chicken requires good bacon and it's best to get a longer rasher that is a bit streaky. This protects the chicken and adds some great flavour to the overall sauce. It also helps caramelise the chickpeas and celery. A winner all way round.
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 rashers bacon
- 50 g soft feta cheese
- 100 g baby spinach leaves wilted and chopped
- 1 tin chickpeas drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 stick celery - sliced
Instructions
Steps to Success:
- make a horizontal slit in each chicken breast and stuff some of the feta and spinach in, them wrap the chicken breast in a rasher of bacon.
- In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, add the garlic and celery and stir for about 1 minute.
- Add the chickpeas and stir again. Season with salt and pepper. I sometimes add some other Moroccan spices too at this stage, or some chilli
- Add the two chicken breasts into the pan, pushing them down onto the surface of the pan to sear the bacon properly. Leave for 10 minutes, then turn and cook for another 10 minutes. Just watch the chickpeas don't stick to the pan - so stir them up a little bit each time (they will caramelise nicely by the end)
- Serve with some yoghurt or sour cream.
If you really like this recipe, it is one of many easy ones that are in The Healthy Traveller.