Green Chile Stuffed Chicken Breast

Green chile is good in virtually everything, whether spicing up pizza or building a better burger. Whereas other pepper varieties can be substituted for green chile in this recipe, they often lack the piquant punch of Hatch green chile. I typically use a hotter variety of green chile, like Sandia Select, but milder versions will do. Chopped, canned chile is a solution if circumstances are desperate. Alternately, when grilling, the chicken would also be tasty coated with Albukirky Seasonings Green Chile Rub, which is considerably cheaper than frozen green chile in terms of shipping. Their green chile rub is also good on popcorn, but I digress. Back to the stuffed chicken breast.

Hatch green chile and cheese stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon with a saladEverything is better with bacon

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 8 slices of bacon | Cook ahead of time…do not fully cook. Needs to be pliable.
  • 4 slices of cheese | Whatever you have available. I usually use a sharp cheddar or another sharp variety. Chile accompanies sharp cheeses nicely.
  • 4 roasted chile | Preferably strips of fresh, whole, roasted chile, but chopped chile will work in a pinch
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • toothpicks or Butchers Twine to secure the bacon

Directions

Chickens appear to be on a steady diet of growth hormones these days. The breasts are huge. If you don’t have a big appetite, splitting a breast between two people is ample, particularly when side dishes or salad are involved. As an added benefit, this dish is keto-friendly.

Put your chicken breast on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to butterfly the chicken breast, slicing it in half, starting at the thicker end and ending at the thin point. Be careful not to cut through. The idea is to open it up like a tortilla to fold the cheese and chile inside…not to have two fillets of chicken.

Peel your roasted chile and remove the seeds. Also, I use a sharp cheese, often an aged, white cheddar, thin slices. However, any cheese with zing works well, even a good gorgonzola or blue. I would go lighter on the cheese when using a strong cheese. Regardless, green chile and bacon can hold their own with a strong cheese.

Hatch green chile and cheese stuffed chicken breast wrapped in baconPrepping the chicken

Open up your chicken breast. Spread chile on one half. Top with cheese. For extra cheesy goodness, create layers, with a thin slice of cheese, chile and more cheese. Fold the chicken around the cheese and chile. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Partially fry the bacon. Remove it and wrap the chicken while the bacon is pliable. Wrap each breast with 3-4 slices of bacon, depending on size. If the strips won’t wrap fully, tuck under one side and secure with toothpicks. The side without toothpicks showing becomes the “top.” Grill for 30 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the chicken is thoroughly cooked through (no pink inside).

Baking

Bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breast. If you have a meat thermometer, bake until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Please leave modifications, suggestions, personal variations, or any questions that you have, in the comment field below.

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7 COMMENTS

  1. I assume we’re not grilling it until the chicken is done and then baking it for an additional 20-30 minutes. That’s an either/or thing, right?

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