Raspberry Mojito Cupcakes

Someone is bound to say, “Something smells good!” whenever there is bacon in the oven. Or maybe four little someones. Bacon is one food that is unanimously accepted by all four of my children which gives this easy chicken dinner a big thumbs up.

When my middle daughter turned four we cooked her an entire pound of bacon. It took her 3 or 4 days to eat it but she was in bacon heaven. It is definitely her favorite meat followed closely by Taylor Ham. I grew up calling Taylor Ham pork roll since I lived in the southern half of New Jersey. After marrying my husband and moving to the northern central half he converted me.

This easy chicken with bacon and cheese couldn’t be any easier! Juicy and tender chicken smothered in melty cheese and crispy bacon. This is a recipe that comes together in 5 minutes, and it makes a great weeknight dinner recipe!

I’m all about easy dinner ideas, and this chicken bacon recipe is just about as easy as it gets!

Simply layer all the ingredients in your baking dish and pop it in the oven. Really, that’s all! (Can you believe how simple that is?)

Now you have some time to sit down and put your feet up!

I’ll never forget when we were driving home from our honeymoon in Canada and we stopped at a diner in Vermont. He tried to order his usual diner fare “Two eggs over easy, Taylor Ham, home fries, and rye toast”. The waitress gave him a sideways glance and said, “You ain’t in Jersey anymore, honey!”

I think that was the first time I realized that our beloved pork roll or Taylor Ham is a regional specialty.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 4 tablespoons spreadable cream cheese
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons diced jalapenos
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 oz cheddar cheese
• 4 slices bacon uncooked
• 2 tablespoons southwest seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a pan with foil.
2. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, garlic, jalapenos and salt & pepper.
3. Butterfly chicken breast (so you can open it like a book). Add 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture and 1/2 of the cheddar cheese to each chicken breast. Close the chicken breast wrapping around the cheese.
4. Wrap two slices of bacon around each chicken breast to seal it closed making sure the ends of the bacon are tucked under the chicken to hold it in place. Rub southwest seasoning over the bacon.
5. Bake on prepared pan for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through.