After the wild popularity of my guacamole stuffed chicken nuggets earlier this year (both among my readers and at home!) I decided to experiment more with this beautiful flavor combo of chicken and guac.
One of the simplest and easiest ways to prep a chicken breast for easy cooking is to flatten it by smashing the heck out of it with a meat mallet. I had the idea to layer in some nice leafy greens (I used collards) and stuff it with prepared guacamole and then roll it up and wrap it with bacon.
This essentially gives you an easy low-carb meal option with the inclusion of the greens. I don't do so great with low-carb these days so I pair this dish with tostones (fried green plantains) and it is perfect. I can even scoop up any guacamole that falls out with the tostones.
NOTE: You need to be careful not to overcook the chicken in the frying pan while you are browning the bacon. If necessary use the broiler to crisp up the bacon at the end of baking.
That's all for today - this week is straight up BANANAS with taxes, so I have to keep this super short and sweet. And I have finally learned my lesson to organize records/receipts and do bookkeeping each month rather than waiting to do it all at once at tax time. I am to embarrassed to even share how many hours I have spent on our 2015 taxes! Yuck.
Ready to roll up and fry!
Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Guacamole and Greens (AIP, Paleo)
Published 04/11/2016
This recipe is the perfect way to make chicken breasts exciting and delicious and makes a great low-carb meal option or pairs well with fried plantains (tostones or maduros). Best of all this recipe is AIP!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin with a meat mallet (about 2.5 to 3 lbs)
- 2 ripe hass avocados, skin and pits removed
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 to 1 tsp finely ground unrefined salt (adjust based on your preference)
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced or pressed (my garlic press is one of my favorite kitchen tools!)
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro, minced (about 1/2 cup packed)
- 1 shallot, minced (about 1/2 cup)
- 8 to 12 collard leaves, stems removed
- extra virgin olive oil to drizzle
- 1 pound of bacon
Instructions
- Prepare the guacamole. Add avocados, lime, salt, garlic, cilantro, and shallot to a mixing bowl and mash to combine using a fork.
- Prepare the collard leaves (kale will work too). Lay leaf flat on a cutting board and use a knife to cut the center stem out of the middle in a "V" shape. Start the cut about midway up the leaf. See photo in this recipe for Brazilian garlickly collards.
- Pound the chicken. Lay about 2 feet of plastic cling wrap on your counter, place one breast in the middle, and fold the wrap over. This prevents raw meat splatters in your kitchen while you pound. Use the FLAT side of your meat mallet and pound until uniformly thin, around 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with remaining breasts.
- Next, heat a large frying pan over medium heat to let it get hot while you assemble the chicken. Also preheat your oven to 400F.
- See above photo for assembly. Lay about 4 or 5 strips of bacon together. Place one chicken breast on top and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Lay a collard leaf down and drizzle with a bit more oil, using the back of a spoon to spread it around. You can use 2 or 3 leaves per breast, so repeat process until done. Then, add about 4 to 6 TB of guacamole to the center of the leaf. Amount will depend on how large your breast is. NOTE: this guacamole is strong with the shallots and garlic and isn't great to eat raw, so try to split the guac up evenly among your breasts to use it up.
- Carefully roll the breast up, trying not to squeeze any guacamole out of the sides. Make sure the bacon gets wrapped around and forms a seam on one side.
- Place chicken roll seam side down in your pre-heated frying pan and let it cook briefly, about 2-4 minutes, then use tongs to carefully turn it to brown the other side. Repeat entire process with remaining 3 breasts.
- Arrange the browned rolls in a casserole dish and bake for 12-15 minutes. Check doneness of the chicken with a meat thermometer. Just take care not to overcook the chicken - it needs less time than you think in the frying pan. Use the broiler for about 2 minutes to brown/crisp the bacon if needed at the end of cooking. Use tongs to carefully turn the rolls if necessary to brown the other side.
- If serving with friend plantains (aka tostones or patacones), cook them while the rolls bake. You can even use the same frying pan with the bacon fat that rendered out. Score!
- Serve and enjoy! Rolls will reheat well in a 350F oven (takes about 10-12 mins). Alternatively, if you do not plan to eat all of these at once, fry them but then skip the baking step. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until the day you are ready to eat them, then bake as directed (may take a little longer when baking from chilled vs straight out of the frying pan).
Cook time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.
Total time: 35 mins.
Recommended Tools and Ingredients
These are affiliate links to the exact same products I use and love in my own home. I only recommend products I truly love and think you'll enjoy too!
This garlic press is the press to rule all presses. I've tried many in the past and always been frustrated. This one is easy to use and (most importantly) easy to clean! It's dishwasher safe which is a HUGE bonus. It feels like it will last a lifetime.
Real Salt is my go-to for cooking. It's a finely ground salt - always make note in a recipe whether it is fine or coarse salt for accurate measuring!
This gluten- and dairy-free green bean casserole is just as quick and easy to make as the original, but without the allergens and additives.