Vegetables certainly have their place at the Primal table and we eat them often in every season. But man (and woman) cannot survive on vegetables alone. Or, rather, they can and do, but in our opinion it’s a much less tasty (and nutritious) way to live. Nothing lures us in and satisfies our hunger like the savory aroma of meat dripping with juices and glistening with lip-smacking fat.
In our never-ending quest to enjoy all the butcher shop has to offer, we’re turning our attention this week to a cut of meat we rarely buy. Not because it’s exotic or adventurous, quite the opposite actually. In fact, it might just be the least adventurous cut of meat out there. That’s right, we’re talking about the boneless, skinless chicken breast.
We don’t buy this cut regularly, usually preferring to feast on the whole bird or on fattier pieces with bones and skin intact. But every once in a while when we want a simple dish with loads of juicy flavor that will please everyone at the table (including kids and picky meat-eaters), chicken breasts are the perfect meal. Yes, you read that right. Loads of juicy flavor. If you think those words don’t belong in the same sentence as “chicken breast” then you’ve obviously never had Double-Pork Stuffed Chicken Breasts.
The trick to transforming chicken breasts from bland and boring to sensational is dressing them up a bit. The breast is ideal for stuffing; just butterfly it and pound the meat a little thinner so you can fit a lot inside. We use ground pork for its fat content and flavor and season it with three simple, flavorful spices. The options for stuffing chicken breasts, however, are endless. You can add sautéed vegetables or a little grated cheese, or play around with different meat and spice combinations. There is one thing about this recipe you won’t want to change, however, and that’s the part where we replace the missing skin with something even better: Bacon!
Wrapping chicken breasts snugly in a generous layer of bacon steers them out of bland and dry territory into lip-smacking, juicy flavor territory. The bacon also holds the whole dish together so well that you can eat one of these babies with your hands, as if it were a sandwich. This makes Double-Pork Stuffed Chicken Breasts not only a great dinner dish, but something you can eat cold the next day for breakfast or lunch on-the-go.
Ingredients:
4 servings
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a skillet over medium heat, sauté pork, shallot, parsley and half of spices for 6-8 minutes until pork is just cooked, but still slightly pink.
Use a knife to butterfly the breasts (slice lengthwise through one side of the breast creating a pocket).
Open up the breasts and pound briefly with a meat tenderizer to thin the meat out a bit.
Sprinkle the remaining spices evenly over the inside of the breasts.
Spoon equal amounts of ground pork on to one side of each breast, then fold the other side over the top.
Wrap bacon slices snugly around each breast, covering entirely.
Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, then put under the broiler for 3 minutes to crisp up bacon.
Can be eaten warm or cold.
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