STUFFED BACON WRAPPED CHICKEN…in a Creamy Sauce

Stuffed Chicken breasts wrapped with crisp Bacon is delicious. It’s a meal fit for a King! The options are limitless. The chicken stuffing, calls for Ricotta & spinach, flavored with Parmesan cheese, garlic & seasonings. It is scrumptious.

If you don’t care for Ricotta or Spinach for some reason, you can also substitute chopped Broccoli & flavored cream cheese or Cottage Cheese instead. I have also made this dish, stuffing the breasts with Swiss cheese, cheddar or Mozzarella cheese, along with spinach or Broccoli. Any way you decide to stuff it……..it’s wonderful!

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 (10 ounce) bag washed fresh spinach …pat dry
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (opt)
2 -3 slices cooked, Thick sliced bacon for each breast
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
or
1 (10.74 ounce) Cream of Celery Soup

mixed with: 3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9×13 inch baking dish.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir until it begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Quickly stir in spinach, and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, and set aside to cool.

3. Slice through the chicken breast horizontally to within 1/2 inch of one long edge, then open the meat like a book. Place each opened chicken breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound with a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/4 inch.

4. Stir the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and onion powder into the cooked spinach until blended. Evenly divide this mixture among the chicken breasts, then roll each into an oblong shape, like a burrito, tucking in the ends. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Wrap each breast with 2 -3 strips of bacon, and secure with toothpicks. Place into the prepared pan.

5.In a medium bowl, combine condensed soup, milk, pepper and salt. Mix until smooth, then pour over chicken.

6. Cover & Bake in preheated oven until the chicken is tender. Remove foil, & continue baking uncovered, until sauce has thickened a little more. About 15 minutes longer.
* You can also melt cheese over the top of the bacon wrapped chicken.