Mediterranean flavors melt together to make every succulent bite taste delicious with this bacon wrapped pesto chicken recipe. The chicken is stuffed with feta, olives, and pesto, then wrapped up in salty bacon for the juiciest chicken with a crispy finish. This dish is fancy enough for a dinner party, but surprisingly easy enough to make for a weeknight meal, too.
Ingredients
4chicken breasts
1teaspoonblack pepper
4tablespoonspesto
4tablespoonscrumbled feta cheese
4tablespoonschopped kalamata olives
12slicesbacon, NOT thick-cut
1teaspoonbutter
¼ cuppine nuts
Instructions
Start by butterflying your chicken. If your chicken breasts come with the chicken tender, remove it and save it for another recipe. Lay the chicken on a cutting board and place one hand on top to hold it steady. Starting at the thickest end, use a sharp knife to cut by cutting through the breast horizontally most of the way through the breast. Then, fold open the chicken like a book. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.
4 chicken breasts
Season the inside of the chicken with pepper and then spread 1 tablespoon of pesto over the inside of each chicken breast. Sprinkle one tablespoon of chopped olives and 1 tablespoon of feta cheese inside each chicken.
Close the chicken breast and then wrap each one in three pieces of bacon. Make sure that the bacon overlaps a little so that it sticks together. Tuck in the final end piece of bacon.
12 slices bacon
Sear the chicken in a large skillet over medium heat until the bacon is mostly crispy, about 10 minutes.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to cook the chicken for another 15 minutes, turning them several times, until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and let them toast for 2 minutes. Serve the chicken with the pine nuts over top.