What's better than fried chicken? How about bacon cheddar stuffed fried chicken? This recipe is quick, easy, and sure to be a big hit with everyone at home!
Frantic Friday Nights!
Let me paint you a picture. I've been hard at work all day. My wife has been working hard as well. My daughter is battling the 2020 battle that a lot of our kids are fighting... online learning. Needless to say, dinner was not at the forefront of my mind! I head to the refrigerator and I have chicken breasts staring at me that need to be used. That's when this recipe pops into my head!
Everyone loves bacon!
I love fried chicken. It's crispy, juicy, and always delicious. But if you have the opportunity, why not add bacon? Bacon makes everything better! Looking here or here you can tell that I believe that to be true! So, now we have the chicken, we have the bacon, let's add some cheddar and really turn this up!
How it's made
We have to bread the chicken, of course, but first we have to make the chicken ready to stuff. To do that, we're going to butterfly the chicken breast and make it flat. To get a better definition of butterflying, check out this recipe here. After butterflying, we're going to pound it flat. That can be done with a heavy bottomed skillet or a meat mallet if you have one.
Once we have it flat, just add the stuffing to the middle! A fun variation on this would be to add ham and swiss and have a chicken cordon bleu. You could also add ranch sauce to the middle with the bacon and cheddar for some added flavor. But I digress. Once you've added your choice of stuffing, start from one of the long sides of the flattened breast and start to tightly roll meat up until you have a completed rolled chicken breast. At this point you can tie the chicken to hold it together if you feel it is falling apart. Just make sure you leave the string long enough that you are able to find it in the breading! (I learned this the hard way!!)
Breading, Frying, and... Air Frying?
Now that we have the rolled up chicken breast, it's time to fry it up! This is going to take the standard three step process. We'll set up one plate or bowl for flour. To the flour we'll add our seasonings and spices. In the second bowl, we have an egg wash. This helps the breading stick to the chicken. Last plate or bowl will be panko bread crumbs mixed with a little salt and a little parmesan cheese. This will give the breading a great flavor!
Frying can be done in a pan. Put the oil in an oven proof pan, I prefer cast iron, but you can use any kind of pan here. Turn the heat on medium-high and wait until you are starting to see very slight wisps of smoke coming from the oil. If you have a candy thermometer, it should register 350 degrees. Set the breaded chicken in the oil and cook until golden brown on all sides. The chicken is done when the internal temp reads 165, but you should be able to tell once all sides have the golden brown crust on them!
Alternatively, you could air fry these as well! If you are going to air fry the chicken breasts, all you need to do is cook them in the air fryer at 380° for 10 minutes, turn them over, and cook for an additional 5 minutes! Simple!
Wrapping it Up
This fried chicken breast really is comfort food defined. It's a quick, easy main dish that can go with any side dish you can pull up on a weeknight! I served this with a side of garlic butter rice, but you could do fries or mashed potatoes. This also lends itself to a lot of veggie sides! This is one of our new favorite weeknight meals! I hope you enjoy it too!
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Bacon Cheddar Stuffed Fried Chicken Breast
Equipment
- Air Fryer (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 package boneless skinless chicken breast
- 5 slices bacon diced
- ½ cup medium cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups canola oil or enough to cover half the chicken breast
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until fat is rendered and meat is crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.
- Butterfly chicken breast and pound flat. Should be roughly ½ inch thick
- Add bacon and cheddar cheese to flattened chicken breast
- Starting on one long side of the breast, roll chicken around filling until completely rolled up
- In a medium container, combine flour and seasonings
- In a small bowl, beat eggs until combined
- In a separate medium container combine panko and parm
- Take each rolled chicken breast and add first to flour mixture, then egg wash, then panko. Make sure each rolled breast is covered in breading
- In skillet used to cook bacon, add canola oil.
- Heat skillet over medium high heat until just starting to smoke. Candy thermometer (if you have one) should read 350 degrees
- Add breaded chicken to skillet and cook on all sides until golden brown all over. Internal temp should read 165 degrees
- Remove chicken breast to paper towel lined plate. Serve while hot
Alternative air fryer method
- Prepare chicken breast the same way. Cook in air fryer at 380° for 10 minutes, turn over, cook for additional 5 minutes until golden brown.
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