Bacon Wrapped Guacamole Stuffed Chicken Breasts
I have a pet peeve that involves bacon. You’re at the store, and you pick a package up. You look at it and think, “hey, this bacon looks pretty good – look at all that meat!” But then you get home and open the package, only to find the strips have been carefully aligned to show you only the quarter inch of meat atop each and every strip of bacon, hiding the inch of fat. Gets me every time! Life is tough for us carnivores. But this my friends is why it’s worth buying high quality bacon. Bacon shouldn’t be an everyday item anyways, so when you’re going to have it, spend the extra couple of dollars and get the good stuff.
Come to think of it, I also have a pet peeve that involves guacamole. Guacamole is ridiculously easy to make. You cut up the avocado, a little bit of onion and tomato, throw it all in a bowl with salt, cumin and lime juice and mash. It literally has taken me longer to open a package than it takes me to make guacamole (I have chubby fingers, alright). I really don’t understand why people buy the gross pre-made kind. Even if you’re buying the less gross pre-made kind (as in, made at the store by a human that day, rather than processed and shipped), it’s never going to be as fresh as it will if you make it at home. And it will always be too smooth or have too much onion. I know it’s early in the morning for a guacamole rant, but I’m pretty sure bad guacamole is why I disliked avocados for more than half my life, and that’s like 18 years worth of avocados I can never get back. So you should understand why I feel so strongly about the matter.
Anyways, now that you understand the importance of good bacon and good guacamole, you can make these stuffed chicken breasts. These are a paleo dream right here, although I bet cavemen didn’t eat bacon or guacamole. Although they could have, because I’m pretty sure the mortar and pestle dates back pretty far. It’s essentially a rock and another (bowl shaped) rock, right? I don’t have a mortar and pestle and I can’t say I’ve really needed one, but it’s one of those things I’d kind of just like to have in my kitchen. I think it would give it soul. Not that my kitchen doesn’t have soul, but a kitchen can always use more soul. It makes the food taste better. I’m pretty sure that’s science.
Sorry, I got distracted. (Squirrel!) The point is, I highly recommend making these. They’re delicious and will definitely make anyone lucky enough to be served one very happy. I love the way the bacon grease infuses the guacamole as it cooks out of the bacon. If there’s anything better the (homemade!) guacamole, it’s bacon infused homemade guacamole. Hey… that’s a great idea…
Bacon Wrapped Guacamole Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Adapted from Closet Cooking
Ingredients:
- Four 6-8 oz chicken breasts, pounded flat
- 4 slices high quality thick cut bacon
- 1/2 cup freshly made guacamole (or more):
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped tomato
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped onion
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional: jalapeno, cilantro (I generally omit, because it’s two more things to buy that I don’t see as necessary… but some people love it!)
How-to:
- For the guacamole, mash the avocado with a fork – leaving some chunks because smooth guacamole is gross. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
- Lay the flattened chicken on a cutting board. Spoon two heaping tablespoons of guacamole in the middle of each piece. Don’t touch the chicken with your spoon and then dip it back into the guacamole, because then if you have extra guacamole you’re faced with the decision of throwing away guacamole and potential salmonella, and that’s a decision no one should ever have to make.
- Roll up your chicken breasts and wrap with the bacon. You made the excellent decision to invest in thick cut, high quality bacon, as you always should, so one piece of bacon should cover the chicken fairly generously.
- Stab lovingly with a toothpick to ensure your chicken stays in one beautiful piece.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees F. You’ll probably want to switch to broil, so the bacon gets nice and crispy.
- Serve! (And for the love of god, save the bacon grease remaining in the pan to cook your brussels sprouts with. That stuff is liquid gold).
Makes 4 people very happy
