Bacon. Disguised as something healthy (aka Chicken).
The story behind this dish includes an old friend, Alyssa, and has been tweaked over the last 5 years to become the wondrous creation that it is today. And, heck, let's be honest with ourselves. We'll probably continue to tweak it. It's just what we do.
The story...
Once upon a time, Alyssa didn't have a driver's license and lived far away. EmShay decided they needed a girls night with Alyssa. This led to a 4 hour escapade of driving to get Alyssa and bring her back to the party house. During said girls night, Alyssa had the brilliant idea to wrap chicken in bacon! Why hadn't we thought of this sooner?!?!
Fast forward a few months...
Shayla got the bright idea to take powdered ranch dressing mix and sprinkle it on top of said chicken wrapped in bacon. It was an instant favorite, and stayed a favorite for a very long time.
Fast forward somewhere between 3 and 10 years....we lost track....
Emily got bored and decided to raid Shayla's fridge to see what she could make with the odds and ends that she found in there (which happens to be something she's fairly good at.) :P With the odds and ends she found, EmShay discovered they could stuff the ranch-dressing-bacon-wrapped-chickens with lots of tasty things!
Here is the final result!
To make this beautiful dish, you will need.....
4 Uncooked, Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, fileted or cut really thin - whichever you prefer! (Shayla's were already thin, we were able to fold them in half to make them stuffed.)
8 slices of raw bacon
1/2 C (roughly) of chopped cilantro (set a small portion aside to garnish the top)
1/4 of a medium white onion, diced
1 Roma tomato, diced
1/2 of a red pepper, diced
1 C Grated cheese (We used pizza cheese blend. Several different cheeses would be delicious. The amount of cheese used can be adjusted according to preference) (set a portion aside to garnish the top)
1 (1 oz.) Package Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix (You probably shouldn't use the whole thing, so try not to touch it with your nasty chicken fingers :) That was why it was nice to work with someone else)
1 scallion, sliced
Toothpicks to taste. How ever many you want to eat.
But seriously.... you will need toothpicks. I just wouldn't recommend eating them.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Take the chickens and lay them flat on your cutting board. Sprinkle or stuff (depending on how you choose to cut and prepare your chicken) with even portions of cilantro, onion, tomato, pepper, and cheese.
Fold thin pieces of chicken in half and secure with toothpick(s). If fileted, just pinch top closed and hold with a toothpick.
Sprinkle ranch seasoning on top of chicken.
Wrap each chicken in 2 slices of bacon. We wrapped one lengthwise and one width wise, like a present!
Place chickens wrapped in bacon into an ungreased 9x13" pan. The bacon will grease it enough. Sprinkle one last bit of ranch seasoning mix on it. Then garnish with left over cilantro, scallions, and onions. It should look something like the picture below.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through. About 5 minutes before the chicken is done, sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cook until melted.
We served it warm with green beans and homemade apple cinnamon streusel muffins! Recipe to come on muffins.
