Bacon Wrapped CHICKEN CALZONE (again)

Sigh, a few weeks ago, one of my favorite bloggers, Joanne from EATS WELL WITH OTHERS, ran a quick little quiz we all can relate to (click HERE for her original post)...

• Question 1. How often would you say that you decide to cook something (or the converse - decide not to cook something) based on its blogworthiness?
• Question 2. How often do you change a recipe just so it can be entered into a blog event and/or to make it just unique enough that it is blogworthy?
• Question 3. When asked what you are cooking for the week, how often do those you are telling back away slowly while obviously trying to not make any sudden movements?

I have a new question to ask Joanne and my fellow blogger buddies...

Have you ever made a meal two nights in a row because your camera (or sadly, the camera operator) accidentally erased the photos of a blogworthy meal?

Fortunately, these were so good, that I didn't mind at all making and EATING these little beauties a second time...

here's what I did...

Assemble the ingredients...

Boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts
2 slices of bacon per breast
4 thinly sliced slices of Pepperoni per breast
2 TBS of Brie Cheese per breast
1 TBS of Stilton Blue Cheese per breast

Not bragging, just facts... $1.19 a pound!!!

Split the Chicken breast without slicing completely through. You want to make a pocket for the calzone stuffing...

Take the Blue Cheese, and the Brei, and wrap with several slices of pepperoni. Then stuff deep into the pocket of the chicken...

Wrap the chicken with the bacon slices and secure. I am lucky enough to own some stretchy cooking bands.


Of all the "gadgets" that I love to use, these reusable, dishwasher safe, heat resistant to 500 degrees, bands are my favorite. Amazon.com sells them for as little as $5



If Santa left these out of your stocking, reward yourself...

Baring that, secure with toothpicks so the bacon does not come lose during the cooking process

And the cooking process is to fry them first in about 1/2 inch of canola oil. Fry just til they are slightly browned.

And then bake at 350 degrees in a pre-heated oven for JUST 10 MINUTES... Please, do not over cook your chicken. It dries out and loses a lot of taste. Check with an instant read meat thermometer for an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

And listen as everyone says --- OHHHH, AHHHH!

This was REALLY REALLY good. Much faster and easier to make than It sounds (prep time, maybe 15 minutes and cooking time another 20) The mix of flavors is terrific!

I plated this with some home made beer battered onion rings (stay tuned for THAT!!!)


I suffered through this meal two nights in a row...

The things I have to do, just to entertain my 6 readers.