Ah… Bacon, cheddar and jalapeño.  The intrepid trio.  Boldly going where no ingredients have gone before.  Well, that’s probably not true.  But this is a good combo, nonetheless.

I was always intimidated by stuffed chicken or chicken roll-ups.  They looks so… difficult.  They aren’t.  Just choose your favorite ingredients and get rolling (har har har).

I buy very large chicken breasts and slice them longways into two thinner cutlets.  If you buy thinner cuts of chicken from the get-go, then use a mallet to pound them thin enough to roll.

The breadcrumb mixture (panko here) is optional.  If you want to skip the extra calories by ditching the breading, that totally works.  But it’s less tasty…

Golden brown goodness.

Bacon Cheddar Jalapeño Chicken Roll-Ups

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50-60 minutes
Yield: 4 rolls

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, sliced into four thin cutlets
1 – 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided evenly
1 – 2 large jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, diced
8 slices of bacon, split in half or thirds
6 – 8 ounces cream cheese, divided evenly
salt and pepper
1 – 1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lay chicken flat.  Spread cream cheese over each piece of chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add cheddar, jalapeño and bacon.  Don’t add so much that it’s impossible to roll each piece.

2.  Roll chicken, starting at widest end and rolling towards smallest end.  If necessary, use toothpicks to pin chicken in rolled form.

3.  Bake until cooked through, approximately 35 minutes.  For final 2 minutes of bake time, add 1/2 tbsp of butter on top of each roll and allow to melt.