Garlicky chicken
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 50g soft butter
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese (Philadelphia)
- 1 large handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1 pinch Maldon sea salt
- 4 chicken breasts, skin removed
- 12 rashes of thinly smoked bacon, rind removed
- 100ml white wine
- 100 ml water
- Salad of little gem, cherry tomatoes and cucumber to serve.
You will need a pestle and mortar, roasting tray and a small saucepan.
Timings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Garlicky chicken
Stuffed with buttery garlic and parsley, and wrapped in bacon, this chicken recipe is a very easy, incredibly delicious dinner. A perfect meal to prepare in advance and have chilling in the fridge until you need it. The addition of the cream cheese is used to soften the garlic butter, and by reducing the juices you end up with an amazing sauce that, if left on my own, I would drink from the pot! It’s perfectly teamed with a fresh crunchy salad (no extra salad dressing needed), however if carbs are a staple for you then lentils or new potatoes will work well too.
Method
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees/375/gas 5.
In a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic to a paste. Add the soft butter, cream cheese, chopped parsley, pinch of Maldon sea salt and mix well.
Using a sharp small knife make an incision through the fattest part of the chicken breast from top to bottom. Go right the way through the flesh from one end to the other forming a tunnel, being careful not to puncture the sides.
Get a large teaspoon of garlic butter mix and evenly stuff it right through the tunnel so that it reaches the other end.
Next, lay out 3 rashes of bacon. Roll the stuffed chicken breast up in the bacon and place in a roasting tray, tucking the ends of the bacon underneath the breast. Repeat with the other chicken breasts until all four are stuffed.
Pour in the wine and water. If you are making it in advance, you can now leave in the fridge until ready to cook.
If you are making it straight away, place the roasting tray in the oven and cook for 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and carefully pour the juices into a saucepan. Cover the chicken breasts in tin foil to rest and keep warm while you make the sauce.
Bring the juices in the saucepan to the boil and reduce until there is 1/5 left.
Slice the chicken and serve with a crunchy salad, wonderfully complimented by the delicious juices.
DOWNLOAD OR PRINT RECIPE HERE.
If you’re worried about your children trying it, you’d be surprised with how garlicky most children like food. It’s essentially garlic bread, a pig in blanket and chicken Kiev all rolled into one. So give it a go and let them choose just a few pieces to start with. Slowly slowly my friends.”
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