I’m recovering from a killer wedding in Laguna. Staying up until 3am and taking full advantage of the open bar will really do a number on you, and needless to say, I am ready for a major detox. After a three hour power nap and a run, I felt a little more like myself. I quickly realized, however, that my detox also needed a home cooked meal and lots of veggies. Enter this super simple stuffed chicken I pulled together in less than 20 minutes. It was inspired by Paleomg’s recipe that I tried eons ago but this one came entirely from what I had left over in the fridge (and who doesn’t always have bacon, ya know?). I didn’t even realize how similar the recipes were until after. I guess great minds think alike. Or they just think bacon. And brussels sprouts.
Serving: 2
Ingredients:
2 pieces of chicken breasts
2-3 pieces of bacon
1 bag of frozen brussels sprouts, slightly thawed
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
5-6 grape tomatoes, halved
3-4 cups of spinach
toothpicks
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. While the oven heats up, cook the bacon about 2-3 minutes per side over medium heat. Set aside to cool
3. Leave the bacon grease in the pan and toss in the spinach and chopped peppers. Saute for 4-6 minutes or until spinach is wilted
4. Butterfly chicken breasts with a knife. Place a parchment paper or paper towel over it and flatten the chicken (Use a skillet, mallet to beat the chicken and thin it out. I happened to use my wedding souvenir for this one – a wooden cheese platter)
5. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper
6. Chop the bacon thinly and throw it into the skillet with the sauteed veggies. Then, scoop out the mixture and place it in the middle of the butterflied chicken. Fold the chicken and close it up with the toothpicks
7. Place the stuffed chicken on a cookie sheet with tin foil and into the oven for 18-20 minutes
8. With 8-12 minutes remaining (depending on how frozen your brussels sprouts are), remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place the brussels sprouts around the chicken and return to oven
9. Once complete, allow the chicken and veggies to cool for a few minutes. Move the meal to a plate and add the grape tomatoes to the brussels spouts mixture
10. Eat up, baby!