Apple Bacon Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Pockets
Scrumdelicious chicken dinner and it’s super easy to make. Juicy chicken breasts stuffed with sweet apples, crispy bacon and sharp cheddar cheese.
Hungry husband: “I want bacon…”
Me: “You just want bacon or do you want dinner with bacon? Like chicken?”
HH: “Hmmm, chicken…oh, how about Chicken Kiev?”
Me: “Where does the bacon come in?”
HH: “oh…”
Me: “OH, how about bacon and cheese stuffed chicken? Better yet, bacon, cheese and apple stuffed chicken?”
HH: “Oh yea!”
…And that’s how I get many dinner ideas, with the help of hubby’s cravings. He loves Chicken Kiev but there are only so many times I would make the same dish over and over. Every time I ask him what he wants for dinner, I get the same one of five favorite dishes. Those dishes are great, there is no denying, but I like variety and can’t live on the same five dishes every week. So I tend to go a whole other creative way when he asks for something I’ve made a million times, like this chicken. It’s similarly made to Chicken Kiev, except I changed the stuffing and didn’t bread the outside of the chicken. It turned out so good! Much lighter, still so juicy and so much flavor.
Apple Bacon Cheddar Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 medium apple sweet, peeled, and cored
- 1 lb bacon
- 4-5 oz sharp cheddar cheese block, to stuff
- 2 oz cheese for topping
- 1 tsp Salt more or less to taste
- 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper more or less to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil for the baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Chop cold bacon into pieces and cook them in the preheated pan over medium to medium-low heat until crispy. Drain off the bacon fat and set the bacon bits aside to cool. (Set aside some bacon bits to top off the chicken in the end.)
- Dice apples and mix it with bacon in a bowl.
- Slice cheese into about 1/8 inch slices.
- Butterfly each chicken breast and be careful not to cut all the way through. Place opened butterflied chicken breasts on a large plastic cutting board and cover them with some plastic wrap. (This will precent any chicken juices from splattering while you tenderize it.)
- Gently pound each chicken breast with the flat wise of the meat tenderizer until thinned. Be careful not to hit it too hard so you don't have any holes in the chicken. Also, don't make it too thin or it will rip while you are trying to roll it with stuffing.
- Discard the plastic wrap and salt and pepper each chicken breast to taste.
- Place two slices of cheese in the center of chicken breast. Add some apple/bacon mixture on top of cheese. You'll have to judge how much stuffing to add by the size of the chicken. Each breast varies in size and you should be able to bring edges together with just a little overlap. Once you closed the chicken, place it in a greased baking dish or a cast iron skillet, seam down.
- Repeat with remaining chicken. Add a little more salt and pepper on top.
- Bake chicken for 30-35 minutes.
- Spread some grated cheddar cheese on top of each chicken pocket and sprinkle some diced bacon over it.
- Bake for just a few more minutes to melt the cheese.
Nutrition
Check out these great recipes from other bloggers:
Shrimp and Bacon Alfredo Stuffed Chicken from The Midnight Baker
Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken from Life In The Lofthouse
Mozzarella and Pepperoni Stuffed Chicken from Simply Gloria
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More Delicious Recipes From Me:
Sun Dried Tomato Feta Stuffed Chicken
Asiago Spinach and Mushroom Chicken Rollatini
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
How many carbs?
Hi Jala,
I have updated the nutrition and you can see it in the recipe card. My nutrition calculator says there is 1 carb in this dish. I hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
These look so AMAZING! Have to try!
Thanks, Traci!
Tried witbout apples ( Hubby not cooked apple fan) took a little longer. It would have been helpfull to know how thick the chicken was for 30 – 35 min time, mine took 40 – 45. They were about 3/4 inch, big breasts. Very good..
Looks phenomenal!! It’s so tempting & sounds very simple & easy to make.. Wish I could have got this recipe a day before. I’d have tried this chicken recipe for my guests… But yeah would definitely try this out as my husband loves anything made out of chicken. I will share my experience in making this Bacon Cheddar stuffed Chicken very soon with you… While planning the menu for my party, I came across this cool site http://www.appetizersusa.com which is an online appetizer site where I ordered Bacon wrapped chicken of 50 pieces. Lyuba, I keep a track of most of the recipes you have shared with us, but haven’t got enough time to try all of them… Out of most of the recipes I have noted, the one I tried and came out best was Peanut butter banana stuffed French toast which my kids loved… Thanks for sharing these simple yet delicious recipes with us…
Thank you so much, Kelly! I’m glad you like the French toast :)!
Looks like dinner to me Lyuba! Love the combination of bacon and cheddar with the chicken – yum!
Thank you, Trish :):) !
I’m with you!! I need variety and I need a cooking challenge. I love making different recipes and I love to taste — I just love to cook and bake. I pinned several of your chicken breast recipes — we eat lots of chicken breast as well as thighs! Your photos are making me drool but that is what they’re supposed to do 🙂 Great recipe — thank your hubby for the inspiration.
Awe, thank you, Marisa!!
This is spectacular! My hubby will eat this (he is so picky about chicken) Makes me a happy girl!
Yummed. Pinned. Stumbled. 🙂
Oh yay! I really hope that you and your husband will like it 🙂