Chicken, Blue Cheese and Bacon - paradise!

If you're not a fan of blue cheese or bacon, this is not the recipe for you.  But for the rest of us - yum!  After rolling up the chicken, I recommend wrapping the bacon around it so that the bacon covers the "open" sides of the rolled chicken to prevent the blue cheese from melting out.  Serve it with a nice mixed green salad and a balsamic vinaigrette.


Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Blue Cheese and Pecans

Ingredients

• 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 2 scallions, sliced on bias
• 4 slices good-quality center cut bacon
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup half-and-half or cream
• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• Special equipment: toothpicks

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butterfly the chicken breast pieces by cutting across the breast but not all the way through. Open the breasts up and pound lightly between parchment paper. Peel paper away and season the meat with salt and pepper.

Cover the seasoned chicken cutlets with blue cheese crumbles, pecans and scallions in equal amounts. Roll the chicken, wrap each roll with bacon and secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the rolls with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken evenly all over, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small baking sheet, place in the oven and cook 10 minutes more.

Melt the butter in the same skillet pan the chicken was seared in over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in stock. Let thicken a minute then whisk in the half-and-half and grain mustard, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to warm.

Halve the chicken and stack to show off the center. Set chicken in gravy or pour over top. Serve with rice (or pasta) and greens, if desired.  Ooh, a nice crusty warm bread with some light garlic butter would work well too.