Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Blue Cheese & Pecans

Remember the other day when I mentioned wrapping chicken and beef in bacon?  Yeah, that's a totally fun and tasty thing to do.  Know what makes it even more fun?  Stuffing the meat of choice with cheesy goodness.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....................................

This is another one of those fancy-esque meals that can totally impress people but it really pretty simple to put together.  And if you're really pressed for time on the day you want to eat this?  Go ahead and do the assembly and bacon-wrapping beforehand; just keep them in the fridge until you're ready to cook.

My assembly line!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Blue Cheese & Pecans
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup blue cheese crumbles [Note: goat cheese is awesome in this too.  Or give feta a try]
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
2 scallions, sliced on bias
8 slices good-quality center cut bacon

1.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Butterfly the chicken breast pieces by cutting across the breast but not all the way through. Open the breasts up and pound lightly between parchment paper (sometimes I'm too impatient to pound the chicken; oh well!). Peel paper away and season the meat with salt and pepper.

Seasoning inside and out is important. 

2.  Cover the seasoned chicken with blue cheese crumbles, pecans and scallions in equal amounts. Roll the chicken, wrap each roll with 2 slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the rolls with salt and pepper (not too much salt though!  Remember that bacon is salty too).

A little goes a long way

3.  Brown the chicken evenly all over, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small baking sheet, place in the oven and cook 10 minutes more.

Want to get that crispy bacon crust going in the skillet before baking

Now, I just want to make clear that I do not like blue cheese.  However, I really enjoy this dish.  The first time I ever made this I did two breasts with goat cheese and two with blue cheese.  Both turned out great actually!  But since Rob's a biiiiiig fan of blue cheese and this is one of the very few ways I'll eat it, I decided to be nice and stick to that part of the original recipe.  If you really don't like it though, try something else.  I think this recipe works best with a crumbled cheese that has that bite to it, however if you like something milder, go for it!

The original recipe also calls for you to make a gravy with this.  I've never made it because I don't want a heavy sauce covering up all those wonderful tastes and textures.  Between the salty crunch of the bacon, the tender chicken, the creamy sharp cheese, the onion and crunchy rich pecans, I think these little rolls are perfect on their own!