Cream cheese stuffed bacon wrapped chicken roll-ups are exactly what they sound like – chicken breast halves spread with a savory cream cheese, rolled up and wrapped in strips of bacon, then baked to perfection!
So if you’re looking for a meat entree that is a little different than the normal, this is it!
First, there’s regular boneless skinless chicken breasts. We’ll use the “butterfly” method to slice these in half, creating flat slabs of chicken.
Next, there’s the savory cream cheese mixture. It’s actually very simple, containing only a few basic seasonings, and is very easy to whip up with an electric handheld mixer like this one!
Then there’s bacon. The bacon wrap helps to keep the chicken moist and juicy while it cooks.
Not to mention the delicious flavor it adds!
And that’s it!
In case it appears too time consuming and difficult, I’m here to assure you it’s actually surprisingly simple and quick to prepare cream cheese stuffed bacon wrapped chicken roll-ups.
I’ve been into chicken breast recipes lately; turns out, this is a great recipe for weeknight meals, if you’re lookiing for main dish ideas!
What does it mean to butterfly a chicken breast and how do I do it?
Butterflying a chicken breast is when you take a sharp knife and cut the chicken breast in half horizontally, creating two thin pieces of meat called cutlets.
It’s fairly simple, but if you have more questions about this, click here.
Supplies we used
- Cutting board – always a good idea when cutting anything
- Rada knife – we use this knife almost every day in our kitchen!
- Mixing bowl – for mixing the cream cheese mixture
- Electric handheld mixer – a very handy tool, especially when it comes to whipping something like cream cheese!
- Spatula – essential in our kitchen
- Baking sheet or dish – really any baking dish approximately the 9×13 size (and with sides!) will work for a baking dish.
- Aluminum foil – regular old tin foil.
- Non-stick cooking spray – like Pam, or something.
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Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken breasts – thawed and cut in half, butterfly style.
Cream cheese – softened
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Parsley flakes
Salt
Bacon – we prefer thin or regular cut bacon!
Butter
How to make Cream Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Chicken Roll-ups
First step: preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare a 9 x 13 pan or quarter sheet by lining with aluminum foil and greasing with non-stick cooking spray. (Or use your desired method of greasing!)
Prepare the chicken roll-ups…
Ok let’s get started on the chicken. First, cut off any fat and butterfly the chicken breasts into cutlets (cut them in half lengthwise), making a total of 6 chicken breast halves. Now here’s where I would normally lay a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken cutlets and use my meat mallet to make the chicken into equal size pieces that are evenly flat; alas, I could not find my meat hammer anywhere, so it is what it is today! A rolling pin could work as well for this step, or skip it all together like we did.
Put the cream cheese filling mixture ingredients in a small bowl and beat thoroughly with a handheld electric mixer.
Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly among all 6 chicken breast halves and spread the best you can. This can be a little tricky! It doesn’t have to be perfectly spread since you’ll never see it once it’s rolled and baked.
Sprinkle salt evenly on the top.
Starting at the narrow end of the breasts, roll each one up and wrap with a piece of bacon or maybe two pieces, depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
Place the finished chicken roll-ups seam side down on the prepared baking dish or pan.
Slice the butter into 6 slivers and place one on top of each piece of chicken.
Bake the chicken roll-ups
Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken breasts reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Turn off the oven at this point; turn the broiler to 500 degrees and broil the chicken for 3-5 minutes to crisp the bacon. (Here’s where you want to keep a close eye on things, so the meat doesn’t burn!)
Once the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness, remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
And…enjoy!
Notes
You will want to make sure the chicken breasts are completely thawed before beginning, since half frozen chicken do not roll up nicely as you can imagine.
If you’re like me and prefer crispy bacon, you can make the cream cheese stuffed chicken rolls and simply cut the slices of bacon in half and drape them over the chicken instead of wrapping all the way around.
You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs in place of boneless chicken breasts, if you so desire. Breasts are larger and easier to deal with, in our opinion!
To save time and effort, you can buy an already seasoned cream cheese spread at the store to use instead of making your own.
Storage
These are the very best fresh from the oven, like alot of things. However, if you do have leftovers store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat, we’d recommend using the oven over a microwave.
What shall I serve with Cream Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Chicken Roll-ups?
Here are a few ideas when it comes to side dishes:
Oven Roasted Parmesan Potatoes
Customize your Bacon Wrapped Chicken Roll-ups
Though these bacon-wrapped chicken roll-ups are delicious as is, there is no end to the great things we could try next time:
Shredded cheese. How about adding some freshly shredded cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese in the cream cheese mixture for an added flavor?
Green onions. They’d make a fine garnish, or even addition to the cream cheese mixture as well.
Black pepper. This simple recipe doesn’t call for pepper, though a sprinkle of black pepper along with the salt would give these a nice little kick!
Cream Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Juicy chicken stuffed with savory cream cheese and wrapped in bacon...MMM. This recipe is actually very simple and delicious!
Ingredients
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt
- 1 package bacon
- 1 tbsp. butter
Cream Cheese Filling Mixture
- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp. parsley
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Prepare a 9 x 13 pan or quarter sheet by lining with aluminum foil and greasing with non-stick cooking spray. (Or use your desired method of greasing!)
- Ok let's get started on the chicken. First, butterfly the chicken breasts (cut them in half lengthwise), making a total of 6 chicken breast halves.
- Put the cream cheese filling mixture ingredients in a small mixing bowl and beat thoroughly with a handheld electric mixer.
- Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly among all 6 chicken breast halves and spread evenly the best you can.
- Sprinkle salt evenly on the top.
- Starting at the narrow end of the breasts, roll each one up and wrap with a piece or two of bacon, depending on the size of your breasts.
- Place the finished chicken roll-ups seam side down on the prepared baking dish or pan.
- Slice the butter into 6 slivers and place one on top of each piece of chicken.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Turn off the oven at this point; turn the broiler to 500 degrees and broil the chicken for 3-5 minutes to crisp the bacon. (Here's where you want to keep a close eye on things, so the meat doesn't burn!)
- Once the bacon has reached your desired level of crispiness, remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Be sure and start with fully thawed chicken, or it will not roll up easily.
Have you tried our recipe for Cream Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Chicken Roll-ups?
If so, we’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below.
Check out some more chicken recipes from our small town…
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Thanks for visiting our small town!
’til next time,
Julie
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