About Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken
It’s been a bit of a chicken week here at my house, but that’s nothing new. Chicken breast is my go-to dinner option when I’ve got nothing else up my sleeve and this bacon wrapped cream cheese stuffed chicken is one of my new favorites!
All that being said, though, when it comes to a fast dinner option… it’s usually either chicken breast and Tuna Helper at our house.
Hey, no judging!
And because of this, I’m constantly looking for new ways to cook and prepare my beloved chicken. Last week’s honey balsamic chicken was absolutely amazing and pretty hard to top, so this time around I wanted to spice things up by going in a completely different direction.
And by “different direction” I mean I added bacon.
Around the chicken.
Behold: baked bacon wrapped chicken breast!
Being the chicken connoisseur that I am, I can’t count how many recipes I’ve tried that use cream cheese in some way.
Chicken and cream cheese is a very popular combination, but in most cases, the cream cheese is only there to provide a creamy texture. The flavor always seems to be handled by some other blend of herbs and spices, completely overshadowing the tart cream cheese.
That’s not the case with this recipe!
The cream cheese flavor is front and center in this stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon, with the bacon (mm, bacon!) and chives only enhancing it.
Even I, the Chicken Recipe Master that I am (that title’s still available, right?) was surprised by how flavorful baked bacon wrapped chicken breast could be.
Kinda makes me wonder why I’ve been treating cream cheese so badly all these years, because the cream cheese simply made this dish.
I can’t make any promises, but I hope this is just the start of more bacon wrapped stuffed chicken recipes in this food blog’s future!
Because that’s why you’re here, right?
Bacon and chicken?
I mean, maybe you get a kick out of my corny jokes – and bless your heart if you’re nodding your head right now – but I think we both know the truth.
My armature comedy hour is nothing compared to stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon.
And that’s okay.
I’d pick the baked bacon wrapped chicken, too.
Can you use chicken thighs instead?
Yes, you totally can! As long as they’re boneless and skinless, you can substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts in this recipe.
Notes & tips for this baked bacon wrapped chicken
- In the recipe instructions, I say to use a meat tenderizer to flatten the chicken breast, but you could use any utensil that’s sturdy & heavy but isn’t breakable. For example, the video above uses a standard rolling pin.
- And speaking of flattening the chicken breast, make sure the surface you do this on isn’t breakable. I have to be careful with this because my kitchen has a tile counter and the tiles could easily break. If you’re unsure about your surface, place a wood cutting board on top to help absorb some of the impact.
- Be creative with this recipe! Experiment with different fillings like meats (more bacon?) or veggies (like spinach).
More great chicken recipes
How to make bacon wrapped chicken
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – Cook the bacon so that it starts to curl and turn red but is still a little on the soft side. The goal is to get the benefits of frying while keeping the bacon flimsy enough that you can work with it. Don’t worry about it being undercooked – this dish will be cooked in the oven, so it will finish cooking that way. Once the bacon is ready, set the strips on a paper towel-lined plate until ready to use.
Step 2 – Place chicken breast in a bag, then use a meat mallet or rolling pin to flatten the chicken until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. Like the bacon, set the chicken aside for now.
Step 3 – In a medium bowl, add cream cheese and chives. Give it a few stirs to mix everything together.
Step 4 – Move the prepared chicken breasts to your workspace. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top, then roll the chicken up, starting with the smallest end first.
Step 5 – Once the chicken is rolled, lay three slices of bacon on top. Wrap the bacon around the chicken, tucking the ends of the bacon underneath.
Step 6 – Transfer the prepared bacon wrapped chicken to a baking dish.
Step 7 – Bake!
Step 6 – Serve end enjoy!
Recipe Details
Bacon Wrapped Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until it begins to curl and turn red - you want it to be partially cooked but still flimsy. Place bacon on a paper towel while preparing other ingredients.
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In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese and chives. Set aside.
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Place chicken breasts in a Ziploc bag (gallon sized). Using a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, flatten chicken breasts until they're about 1/4 inch thick.
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Spoon a portion of the cream cheese mix and spread it in the center of the chicken breast, keeping at least a 1/2 inch gap from the edges clear.
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Starting with the smallest end, roll up the chicken breast. With the seam side of the chicken facing up, wrap pieces of bacon around it so that the ends of the bacon are tucked beneath the chicken. Wrapping this way should secure the bacon and keep the chicken wrapped. If needed, use toothpicks to help keep the chicken wrap together.
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Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Turn oven to broil for 5 minutes to crisp the bacon. If desired, sprinkle more fresh chopped chives on top.
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Serve immediately.
Although we really enjoyed this recipe there were definitely some things missing that I would do next time. First, the chicken needed to be salt and peppered after pounding. Secondly, I would pan sauté them to give them some color before putting in the oven. Finally, I agree with several others, I would add some other grated cheese to the cream cheese mixture.
Try covering with hollandaise before serving.
This recipe sounds SO GOOD. Bacon and cream cheese? I’m sold. Love it so much!
What is a good side dish for recipe? Would rice or potatoes go good with ?
I made asparagus for a side dish.😀
I am making a salad and mashed potatoes
Add butter to the dish in the oven, then put the chicken and sauce from the baking dish on top of white rice…amazing..
I slices potatoes in rounds. Put in iron skillet sprinkled with onion soup mix. Bake on 375 oven covered til done. I do about 30+35in sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and put back in oven til cheese is melted. And….EAT UP!!!
Oops …uncover until cheese is melted….
I just made something similar tonight, I used chive onion cream cheese, put lemon pepper on the breast, wrapped in bacon then put garlic powder and hot sauce on it. They are in the oven now, can not wait for dinner!!
Ha I butter sauteed mushrooms and onions and minced garlic, and a lil parsley! Mixed with my cream cheese and added bacon, a little shredded mozzarella and parmesan. Stuffing tastes awesome! I’d serve it with wheat things too!
I always season the chicken, black pepper, seasoning salt and garlic powder. I add chopped jalapeno peppers and the same seasoning as the chicken. Server with cream cheese mashed potatoes
One of my favorite recipes. I usually cut a pocket in the chicken breast and stuff the cream cheese mixture in it, then wrap with bacon. Bake with the pocket opening up. helps keep the cheese in.
That is exactly how I planned to cook them tonight!!!
How long to you bake the chicken if just pocketing a thick breast?
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Easy but delicious recipe, thank you. I would make one change, mascarpone cheese, instead of cream cheese, will give it a more buttery flavor. Though, it is a great recipe, it tastes time consuming, but can be prepped quickly. I even made this for my mother last Mother’s day.
I used thin cutlets, put mixture on one, Italian seasoning and mozzarella shredded in the mixture to spread. Covered with another thin cutlet. Rolled with 4 pieces of bacon. On 350 shallow pan turn down after short time, bacon cooks without precooking. Excellent recipe thank you.
This will sound silly, but are the nutrition facts listed for one chicken breast wrapped and filled or for all the chicken breasts? Thanks!!
I cooked it as directed and it was wonderful and well received. Served with brown rice and spinach.
Easy recipe. I didn’t have chives so mixed minced onion, garlic powder and rosemary in the cream cheese. Still very good.
My dad and I made this together this evening. Our first tip is, do NOT pre cook your bacon as it doesn’t wrap much or well. Raw bacon will wrap so much easier.
We spread the adobo sauce on the breast before we put on the cream cheese THEN we added some roasted red pepper for some extra smoke and flavour. O. M. G. It was mouthwatering!! The adobo with the cream cheese was a perfect combination! There are so many variations you could do with this recipe
You don’t have to flatten the Chicken breast either.
Just put a little pressure on it and slice a ‘pocket’ into its side, (not all the way through) and put the cheese etc inside then wrap tightly with (uncooked) bacon.
You can also either before cooking or half way through wrap them in puff pastry, mmmmmmmm
PS; Use whole Chicken breast fillets, not Chicken ‘portions’.
Could you cook the bacon a little longer before wrapping (not totally cooked) and cut some nice pieces of precooked rotisserie chicken with cream cheese and chives between the 2 pieces, then backed (or skillet cook) till cheese melts and bacon is totally cooked?
I made this but added green pepper and shredded colby jack cheese to the filling. I also did not cook bacon prior to oven baking. I sprinkled brown sugar on the top of the bacon and chicken. It was amazing. My 17 and 15 year old loved it.
This came out so yummy I put spinach with cream cheese and chopped onion wit pepper jack cheese came out delicious 😋😋
Try covering with hollandaise before serving.
Can I prep and freeze these? I dont know how the cheese or bacon would work. My daughter loves these! And I would like to have some on hand for her to throw in the oven anytime.
sounds yummy, trying it tonight but will probably tweak the filling. Can this be BBQ’d
I made it with chopped brocolli and Cream cheese for the filling and swasoned the chicken with light salt and pep than brushed outside lightly with maple syrup over the bacon…. perfection!
My family and friends love this. I add chopped jalapenos, diced onion, bacon and shredded cheese to the cream cheese and I season the chicken before stuffing it. So delicious. Thank you for the idea!