bacon and chicken parcels

How to make bacon and chicken parcels recipe

Serves 4, Total cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients:
4 small chicken breasts
125 g (4 oz) smoked cheese or mozzarella cheese, sliced
small bunch of basil (optional)
8 smoked streaky bacon rashers
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
350 g (11½ oz) fresh tomato and mascarpone pasta sauce (or similar)
tagliatelle or selection of vegetables, to serve

Method:
Slice the chicken breasts almost in half horizontally, then stuff each pocket with the sliced cheese and 2–3 basil leaves, if using. Wrap the bacon around the chicken breasts to seal in the stuffing.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chicken and cook over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes on each side or until the bacon is golden and the chicken is cooked through. Pierce the chicken with a skewer or sharp knife to check that the juices run clear, then remove from the pan and set aside to rest for 2–3 minutes.

Meanwhile, gently warm the fresh sauce in the same pan, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan. Serve the chicken parcels with cooked tagliatelle or vegetables and the warmed sauce.

For chicken, ham & cheese parcels:
Lay out 4 soft tortilla wraps and arrange 2 slices of waferthin ready-cooked chicken breast and 50 g (2 oz) each of wafer-thin smoked ham, smoked cheese or mozzarella and drained and sliced roasted peppers in the centre of each tortilla. Top each with 2–3 basil leaves (optional) and fold the curved edges of each tortilla into the centre 4 times to create a square parcel. Heat a frying pan and toast the parcels, 2 at a time, for 1–2 minutes on each side. Serve hot with green salad. Total cooking time 10 minutes.

bacon and chicken parcels