Bacon. The most glorious of foods. The meaning of life to many of us. Kryptonite to a healthy heart and enemy to thighs all over the world. Bacon. Food of love.
Naturally...one should make a dinner that involves TWO dishes with bacon. Sure, not an every day meal, but a tasty one to be had maybe once a month. My friends, I shall share with you the recipe for my "Death by Bacon" dinner.
Yari's Rice
Ingredients:
2 cups of white rice, cooked in chicken broth...not water
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 stick of butter (cut into 4-5 pieces)
1 cup of bacon bits
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions:
1. In a heavy skillet or medium saucepan, sautee the onion and bell pepper in the olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add rice, bacon bits and butter. Continue stirring all ingredients together over medium heat until butter is melted and everything has been mixed together evenly.
3. Sprinkle with as much Parmesan cheese as you like. I tend to use about 3 tablespoons.
4. Stir and combine all ingredients one more time and let it sit in low heat for 5 minutes.
5. Serve and nom.
Provolone Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Wrapped In Bacon
Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
8 slices of bacon, uncooked
1/3 of a bell pepper, sliced julienne style
1/3 of a white onion, sliced julienne style
8 baby red potatoes, cut in quarters
4 slices of provolone cheese
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Dried oregano
Adobo Goya (sort of a multi use seasoning blend, you may pick whichever seasoning blend you use for cooking chicken. Keep in mind to reduce the black pepper/salt if your blend already has it)
Olive oil
Toothpicks (optional)
Directions:
1. On a clean cutting board, use a knife to carefully butterfly fillet a chicken breast. It should almost look like an open book, leaving one edge still completely attached.
2. If the chicken breasts are thick, use a meat tenderizer to evenly flatten the chicken breast until it's approximately 1/2" thick in most parts. Don't beat it to a mushy pulp, please.
3. Season chicken breast on both sides with the adobo (seasoning mix), salt and pepper to taste. Also sprinkle lightly with dried oregano. Very lightly. Too much oregano will overpower all other tastes.
4. Cut the cheese slice in half and place inside the chicken breast, close the chicken breast, tucking in the extra 'flaps' of chicken to sort of make a sealed pocket for the cheese.
5. Carefully wrap the bacon slice around the chicken. Make it snug, to further prevent any leaks from inside the chicken breast. Use second slice, if needed, to cover any other part of the chicken breast that needs wrapping.
6. You can use the toothpicks to secure the bacon in place, or simply place the chicken breast in a glass baking pan.
7. Repeat the process for all chicken breasts. Place sliced onions, bell peppers and baby potatoes around chicken in baking pan and drizzle everything with olive oil. About 2 tbsp will do.
8. Cover baking pan loosely with aluminum foil, tenting it so the heat can run through but the dish still retains some moisture. Bake at 375F for about 45 minutes to an hour.
9. Stick a fork in the potatoes and chicken. If it slides in easily and comes out clean it is done. You can also carefully cut a part of the chicken and ensure it's cooked all the way through. Uncover it and bake for 5 more minutes so it's golden and the bacon can crisp.
10. Serve with rice and nom accordingly.
The picture above is my end result. I also fried me up some ripe plantains. The sweet of the plantain makes it an excellent side dish with the saltiness of bacon goodness.
Happy Nomming,
Pastrami Pants
