Bacon- and Cheese-Stuffed BBQ Chicken

With only four ingredients, including the chicken itself, this dish could not be any easier to throw together. It should be apparent to you by now how much I love stuffing chicken, and when I saw this recipe on Carrie’s Sweet Life, I was inspired to get my stuff on yet again. (Yes. Yes I did just say that.)

Here’s the thing: I’ve never had luck wrapping bacon around things. I don’t really like the texture of the bacon when I cook it that way, so I decided to change up the recipe a bit – work with the same ingredients, but put them together in a different way. I ended up frying the bacon, stuffing both it and the cheese inside the chicken, giving the chicken a quick fry in the bacon grease, dousing it with BBQ sauce, and finishing it in the oven. It was sooooo good. It will be making many repeat appearances in my kitchen.

Bacon- and Cheese-Stuffed BBQ Chicken
adapted from Carrie’s Sweet Life

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
4 strips of bacon, diced
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup BBQ sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add bacon to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook to desired crispness; remove to paper towels to drain. Reserve bacon grease.

3. Meanwhile, cut into each chicken breast horizontally, making a pouch for stuffing (be sure not to cut entirely through the breast).

4. Stir together bacon and cheddar cheese, and stuff about a tablespoon of the mixture into each chicken breast pouch (add as much filling as you can stuff in there; it’s delicious!). Secure with toothpicks, if necessary. Season each side with salt and pepper.

5. Add chicken to bacon grease and cook until browned on both sides. Transfer to an oven-safe dish, top with BBQ sauce, and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.