Chicken And Bacon With Spinach Recipes

ONE POT BACON GARLIC CHICKEN AND SPINACH DINNER

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pan, cook and crisp bacon until well browned.
• Remove bacon from pan, do not drain grease, and set aside and crumble when cool (while chicken is cooking).
• Add chicken thighs to pan (I like to lay them flat to crisp up more and let the fat render).
• Let brown on each side, about 4-6 minutes.
• Remove from pan when browned and set aside (chicken may not be fully cooked, we're just trying to get it well browned at this point.)
• Add 2 tbsp stock to pan, scrape any bits of chicken that stuck to pan with stock with a rubber spatula (don't scrub with metal on a cast iron pan, if using something else metal is ok)
• Add butter to pan, let melt.
• Add garlic to pan, let brown, about 4 minutes. Make sure garlic does not burn.
• Add stock to pan, and then add chicken thighs back in.
• Cook until stock has reduced into a thicker sauce and chicken has reached internal temperature of 165 degrees - about 5 minutes.
• Add spinach, toss with chicken and sauce, and let reduce.
• Sprinkle crumbled bacon over the top.
• When spinach is soft and reduced, remove from heat and serve!

BACON SPINACH CHICKEN: A FAST AND SATISFYING CHICKEN DINNER RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Place the chicken on a cutting board and slice slits on one side of each chicken breast. Be sure not to cut all the way through the chicken, as you don't want the filling to fall out. Sprinkle each chicken breast with salt and pepper on all sides and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, drained spinach, sundried tomatoes, and mozzarella. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Fill every other slit in the chicken breasts with the cream cheese mixture. Fill the remaining slits with a slice of bacon.
• Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top of each chicken breast.
• Bake until the chicken is cooked through, cheese is melted and bacon is crispy, about 35 minutes.

CHICKEN AND BACON PASTA WITH SPINACH AND TOMATOES IN GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet, on medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook on one side on medium-high heat for 4 minutes. While it cooks, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with paprika, Italian seasoning, and salt. Flip the chicken over, and cook on the other side for 3 more minutes on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low-medium, flip chicken over again and cook, covered, for several minutes until no longer pink in the center. Remove chicken from the pan and keep chicken warm.
• To the same pan (but without chicken), add heavy cream and bring to boil. Only after the heavy cream starts boiling, add shredded Parmesan cheese. Immediately reduce to simmer (low-medium heat) and stir, while simmering, until the cheese melts and the sauce is creamy, for about 1 or 3 minutes.
• To the same pan with the creamy sauce, add chopped tomatoes, fresh spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper. Stir in the sauce on medium heat just until the spinach starts to wilt and sinks into the sauce. Add 1/3 of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips) and half the bacon (already cooked and drained of fat). Mix everything. Remove from heat.
• In the meantime bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta, and cook according to instructions (usually 10 to 15 minutes). Drain the pasta.
• Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce and reheat on low heat. When ready to serve, top the pasta with the remaining half of bacon (cooked, drained of fat, chopped, gently reheated) and the remaining 2/3 of the cooked chicken (sliced into small strips, gently reheated). This is done for presentation purposes.
• When serving, top the pasta with 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.

BACON-WRAPPED CHICKEN STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir until it begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Quickly stir in spinach, and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, and set aside to cool.
• Slice through the chicken breast horizontally to within 1/2 inch of one long edge, then open the meat like a book. Place each opened chicken breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound with a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
• Stir the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and onion powder into the cooked spinach until blended. Evenly divide this mixture among the chicken breasts, then roll each into an oblong shape, like a burrito, tucking in the ends. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Wrap each breast with 2 strips of bacon, and secure with toothpicks. Place into the prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven until the bacon is brown and crispy, and the chicken is no longer pink, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before removing toothpicks and serving.

CHICKEN, SPINACH & BACON ALFREDO PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high. Put the bacon rashers on a baking tray lined with foil and grill for 5 mins on each side until crisp. Leave to cool, then roughly chop.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or high-sided frying pan over a high heat. Season the chicken, then brown on both sides. Sprinkle over the oregano and add the garlic, then stir for another minute. Crumble in the stock cube and add 250ml water.
• Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce the heat to low-medium. Cook until the chicken is tender, about 15-20 mins, topping up with more water if the pan looks dry. Transfer the chicken to a board using tongs, then shred using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pan with the sauce.
• Whisk the flour into the cooking juices in the pan, turn up the heat and keep stirring until you have a smooth paste that clings to the chicken. Add 500ml water and the cream, then simmer, stirring occasionally for 8-10 mins, or until the sauce has thickened.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 10 mins until it is just cooked but retains some bite. Drain.
• Add most of the parmesan, the mustard, spinach and half the chopped bacon to the sauce, then season to taste, if needed. Stir until the spinach has wilted, then stir in the cooked pasta.
• Tip the mixture into a large baking dish. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining parmesan and scatter over the top along with the tomatoes and remaining chopped bacon. The unbaked dish can now be frozen for up to two months (see below).
• To cook straightaway, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake for 35-40 mins, or until the top is golden and crunchy and the sauce is bubbling.