The Plan for Dinner Tonight

I originally saw this recipe used with Blue cheese and the chicken breast wrapped with bacon. I've modified it a bit and think it's even BETTER! Sorry it's so long but so many people have been requesting recipes that..... well, here it is....... adjust the quantities for the number of chicken breasts you're making.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast (on sale this week)

Cream cheese, softened (for 1 breast I used about 3 oz)

sliced bacon (1/2 slice per breast)

chopped chives (can use dried)

bread crumbs

Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425

Fry the bacon until crisp, drain and chop fine.

Add some chives and the chopped bacon to the softened cream cheese and let stand for at least 30 minutes (to let the dried chives soften)

Make a mixture of 1/2 and 1/2 bread crumbs and Panko crumbs.

Cradle the chicken breast in your hand with the thicker side UP. Insert a very sharp paring knife into the thick side, make an opening about 1 1/2 inches long. Move the paring knife to cut a 'pocket' inside the breast without any exit wound. 

Stuff the breast 'pocket' with the cheese mixture.

Rub just a bit of olive oil onto the breast and season the breast with salt and pepper

Roll breast in bread crumb mixture (You could make this simpler by using Shake n' Bake, I suppose)

Bake on a foil-lined pan for about 20 minutes.

NOTE: In order to bake more evenly and avoid the cheese possibly running out the slit in the breast, I used one of those adjustable roasting racks that allows you to adjust the width of the rack. This way, the breast can roast upright with the slit on the top!