Goat Cheese, Spinach, and Pepper Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

This entire meal was a trip from start to finish, I can assure you of that. I didn’t start cooking until late into the evening due to a series of… delays (aka getting sucked into playing The Last of Us for literally the entire day), and Alex was trying to keg two of his beers (a black IPA and an experimental IPA) at the same time. We have a tiny apartment to begin with, and The Great Kitchen Sink War of 2019 left our carpet stained with spilled beer and our stomachs empty until around 10:30PM as we battled over a measly five feet of countertop space. At the end of it all, though, we had a good meal and a good laugh, so that’s just another lesson learned about the growing pains that come with living with your significant other (and the dangers of waiting until the last minute to do something that’ll take a decent chunk of time). Plan ahead, people!

This recipe makes six servings.

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken breasts
• 2 packages (about 1lb) soft goat cheese
• 5 cups (about 6 oz) fresh spinach, stems removed
• 5 bell peppers
• 18-20 strips (about 1lb) bacon
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ¾ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3 cups broccoli (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Toss broccoli (if using) in salt, black pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil.
3. Core and halve peppers lengthwise. Lay peppers and broccoli (if using) on two baking sheets, pressing the peppers down so they lay relatively flat.
4. Roast vegetables for 20-25 minutes, or until they have begun to brown.
5. Remove and set broccoli aside (it’s done). Slice roasted peppers into strips.
6. In a large bowl, combine sliced roasted peppers, spinach, goat cheese, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, and remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are mixed and the spices have evenly distributed throughout the filling.
7. Slice each chicken breast from the side, taking care not to cut any in half, so that a “pocket” forms.
8. Add ¾-1 cup filling to each “pocket”, depending on the size of your chicken breasts. (NOTE: Don’t worry if it looks like your filling is spilling out. The bacon helps keep everything inside, and when the spinach wilts in the oven it will be less bulky.)
9. Wrap 3-4 strips of bacon tightly around each chicken breast, tucking the ends underneath. (NOTE: If you need to, you can use toothpicks or broken soaked skewers to hold everything together, but I had no problem because I opened a fresh package of bacon that was still very pliable. If you’re using bacon with solidified fat, you might need these extra tools.)
10. Lay each assembled chicken breast on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp garlic powder and a pinch of salt onto each.
11. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
12. If desired, flip again and broil on high for 3-4 minutes, or until the bacon begins to crisp. Serve with previously-roasted broccoli or your side of choice!

This recipe keeps well in the fridge, and lasts up to 5 days in a sealed container. It reheats well in the microwave (as you can see in the above pictures–I didn’t take any decent ones the night I made this so Alex took some at work!). Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Goat Cheese, Spinach, and Pepper Stuffed Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6 chicken breasts
• 1 lb soft goat cheese
• 5 cups fresh spinach stems removed
• 5 bell peppers
• 18-20 strips bacon
• 2 tbsp garlic minced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ¾ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil divided
• 3 cups broccoli optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Toss broccoli (if using) in salt, black pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Core and halve peppers lengthwise. Lay peppers and broccoli (if using) on two baking sheets, pressing the peppers down so they lay relatively flat.
• Roast vegetables for 20-25 minutes, or until they have begun to brown.
• Remove and set broccoli aside (it’s done). Slice roasted peppers into strips.
• In a large bowl, combine sliced roasted peppers, spinach, goat cheese, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, and remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix with your hands until all ingredients are mixed and the spices have evenly distributed throughout the filling.
• Slice each chicken breast from the side, taking care not to cut any in half, so that a “pocket” forms.
• Add ¾-1 cup filling to each “pocket”, depending on the size of your chicken breasts.*
• Wrap 3-4 strips of bacon tightly around each chicken breast, tucking the ends underneath. **
• Lay each assembled chicken breast on a baking sheet. Sprinkle 1/8 tsp garlic powder and a pinch of salt onto each.
• Bake at 425F for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
• If desired, flip again and broil on high for 3-4 minutes, or until the bacon begins to crisp. Serve with previously-roasted broccoli or your side of choice!

Notes

• *Don’t worry if it looks like your filling is spilling out. The bacon helps keep everything inside, and when the spinach wilts in the oven it will be less bulky.
• **If you need to, you can use toothpicks or broken soaked skewers to hold everything together, but I had no problem because I opened a fresh package of bacon that was still very pliable. If you’re using bacon with solidified fat, you might need these extra tools.