Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Every once in a while, each of us tires of the same repertoire of weeknight dinners and yearns for something a little different. How many times can we eat the same grilled chicken breast without becoming completely bored?

In one of those moments of culinary monotony, I vowed that, "this week, we will have something new." After thumbing through some of my more recent cookbooks, I found a recipe for bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken breasts. This recipe comes from a book I received as a gift last Christmas: The Ultimate Cook Book by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.

The chicken is roasted with a stuffing of dried fruits and rosemary leaves, and the breast is basted and moistened by the rendered fat from the bacon. Aside from some minor "surgery" required on the chicken breasts during the preparation, this relatively straightforward recipe certainly qualified as "weeknight fare." Here is my version of the recipe:

Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

3/4 c chopped dried plums (prunes)

1/2 c chopped dried cranberries

1 T chopped rosemary leaves

2 t olive oil

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

1/2 t kosher salt

4 6- to 8-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts

8 bacon slices

4 T balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 F, and center a rack in the oven.

In a small bowl, mix the prunes, cranberries, rosemary, olive oil, pepper and salt.

Using a very sharp paring knife, create a pocket in each of the chicken breasts along the longer edge. The best way to cut through the chicken is to repetitively create small slits in the chicken, enlarging the cavity without cutting through the other side.

Stuff one fourth of the fruit mixture into each of the chicken breasts, and wrap the chicken around the stuffing. Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each breast so that the edges of the bacon end up on the bottom of the breast. Place breasts in a rectangular baking dish.

Bake the chicken for about 40 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices. During the last 5 minutes, drizzle a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar over each breast. Cook until the chicken reaches about 170 F. Remove the breasts, and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving to reabsorb the pan juices.

Serves 4

Wine Suggestions: The combination of chicken and bacon with woody herbs calls for an aromatic, earthy red wine that is not too tannic. A French Cotes du Rhone, a Spanish Tempranillo or even a California Merlot would pair well with this dish.