Bacon Wrapped Broccoli & Beer Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

04.06.2023• Gourmet, Poultry

Beer, breasts, and bacon… what more could you want? ‍♀️ This smoky broccoli beer cheese stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon gets an oozy surprise from the broccoli and spicy beer spread cheese stuffed inside it. This is quick and easy to make, yet don’t let that fool you. This is one flavorful gourmet, tasting dish!

Ingredients

2 8 ounce chicken breasts skinless – boneless
4 tbsp spicy beer cheese spread heaping
¾ cup frozen broccoli florettes roughly chopped
6 slices bacon Smoky with a medium thickness. Both Landes and Neuske’s brand smoked bacon are ideal.
4 toothpicks

Rub

1 tbs[ smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cracked black pepper freshly ground
1 tbs maple sugar (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Line a quarter sheet pan with aluminum foil.
Cup the chicken breast with your hand to plump it up. (goal is a ball versus a flat piece). With a sharp knife, slice vertically through the breast from top to bottom, ensuring not to slice through the bottom of the meat. Open it up a bit, then make another slice, running the knife horizontally to the counter from the top to the bottom of the breast, being careful not to slice the outside of the meat. You should have a cavity of the left side. Repeat on the right side.
Now you can plump it up and open it like a rubber coin purse (lol, remember those!) You should have a round cavity to fill. Divide the chopped broccoli evenly and stuff it into the two cavities. Top with the heaping tablespoons of the spicy beer cheese spread, pressing it into the broccoli
Gently form the stuffed meat into a football shape, pressing the two sides together so they meet on the top. Place a toothpick through each side to hold them together. Slide a second toothpick overlapping the first pick to form an “X” pattern. The “X” pattern helps keep the two sides from pulling apart. Repeat with the second stuffed chicken breast.
Starting from the underside, wrap a piece of bacon around the top. Tuck the end under the breast. Repeat with the remaining two slices covering the entire breast. Try to tuck the ends around the top and bottom of the breast so all the meat is covered. Repeat with the second stuffed breast.
Generously sprinkle the rub on top of the bacon pieces. You want the smoked paprika to cover the bacon slices completely. This will add to the smokiness and give it a beautiful deep color.
Bake a 375 for 25 minutes or until bacon is crisp and a thermometer reads 165 °F when inserted into the meat portion of the stuffed breast.
Remove and let rest for five minutes. Serve warm as is or on top of a bed of rice.

Notes

Baking: For a well-done crispy bacon crust, precook your bacon for 5 minutes in the oven before wrapping the chicken. If you have a convection oven, you can cook the breasts with convection for the first 10 minutes, giving you the same result.

Grilling: Follow the recipe directions and grill over medium-high indirect heat until the interior meat reaches 165°.

Smoking: Follow the recipe directions and smoke at 220° for approximately 90 minutes until the interior meat reaches 165°.

Portion Size: You can easily adjust this recipe using smaller or larger-sized chicken breasts. These are filling and can feed four if served with a side dish such as rice.