Bacon Wrapped, Walnut and Spinach Chicken

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray. You know I have to try it, if it involves BACON! 

Well, I'm not a chef, or a Rachael Ray, so I gave it my best shot.  She wasn't clear down toward the end of her recipe that the last few ingredients were part of a fancy salad*, so I mistakenly put some vinegar and onion in the stuff mix!

However, I think it turned out well, but I did have to drizzle honey over the top to dampen the vinegar a bit!  However, the rest inside was fine, but I do not like celery cooked or watercress, so I left that out completely.

That all being said, here are the ingredients for my attempt.  I should point out that Rachael's recipe was for 6 chicken breasts, and I only used 3, but I did attempt to put more stuffing inside each of mine.  Use her ingredients if you want to cook 6, or freeze 3 for later.

Ingredients: 

• 4 ounces walnuts (about 3/4 cup), toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped 
• 1 brick Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese (8 ounces), softened 
• 1 box chopped frozen spinach (10 ounces), defrosted and well-drained 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• Salt and pepper (Don't forget this step before stuffing is added to the fillet.  I did and had to salt and pepper midway through the oven cooking.  Not as good as before!)
• Freshly grated nutmeg 
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, breasts butterflied to open them up like a book 
• 1/3 pound thinly sliced smoky bacon or speck  (Thinly sliced may work better than my thick sliced, but I liked it though it didn't brown the way I wanted it.)
• 1/4 tablespoon olive or canola oil, divided 
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• 1 crisp apple, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 

Preparation 

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. 

Combine the walnuts with the soft cheese, spinach, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and divide the cheese mixture among the breasts. 

Close the chicken breasts over the filling. Wrap the chicken with bacon or speck, slightly overlapping the slices. 

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil and lightly brown the chicken on all sides. 

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-20 (This depends on how thin your breasts are.  Watch and adjust.) minutes to cook through. 

*Here is where I messed up!  The following directions are for a salad.  I served mine with potato salad instead. 

While the chicken is in the oven, whisk up the lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon, honey (I'll put the honey inside next time.) and the remaining olive oil. Combine the apple, celery, onion and greens with dressing and season with salt and pepper. 

Serve the stuffed chicken with the salad (or potato salad) alongside. 

Despite a couple of mistakes, it was delicious!

WALNUT ENCRUSTED SHRIMP

I bought a large package of frozen cooked shrimp a week or so ago for a snack with cocktail sauce and crackers. As it turned out, we needed something for a meal tonight.

It just came to me to try the “breading” I used previously on fish, and it turned out tasty!

After completely thawing the shrimp, over about 2 hours, I drained them on a paper towel and removed the tail shells.

Judy prepared some brown rice and dumped in about a half a cup of frozen peas. They cooked while I prepared my shrimp.

Sipping on one of my favorite libations, the best sipping whiskey made, George Dickel, I finely chopped walnuts and spread them out on a paper plate.

In a bowl, I cracked a jumbo egg, added salt, black pepper, a little blackened seasoning powder, and a little paprika (why…I just wanted the color). I whipped the egg and ingredients, mixing them very well.

I then dumped the shrimp into the bowl and tossed them, thoroughly mixing the egg mixture on them.

I then placed the shrimp into the crushed walnuts and turned them to get nuts on both sides. I then placed the encrusted shrimp into a skillet of hot EVOO and garlic. I let them cook on each side until the nuts looked “browned”!

Dividing the rice and peas, and the shrimp, we soon began to swoon and moan over the goodness of the shrimp and walnut flavor. It was quite a surprise meal that just happened!

WALNUT SHRIMP ALFREDO

I didn’t have any “ribbon like” noodles for a fettuccini, so I had to use a “round like” spaghetti noodle instead!

It don’t matter, if you’re cupboard doesn’t contain everything you need and your in a hurry and hungry…improvise!

I found frozen shrimp, so I let it thaw a little and then pulled off the tails, and then cut it into bite size pieces.

I boiled the spaghetti, which only took 9 minutes, strained the water off, put it back in the large deep pan it was cooked in, and set it aside. I added a little more salt to the noodles for taste.

In a saucepan I heated Bertolli’s Mushroom Alfredo Sauce over low heat.

I cut up a large onion, chopped up a big handful of walnuts and set them aside.

In a large hot skillet, I poured in some olive oil, dumped in a large spoon of garlic, added the onions and walnuts, some hot crushed red peppers, some dried tomatoes (I like a lot of the sweet taste), some salt, and black pepper, and a large jar of sliced mushrooms. Once this mixture began to steam, I dumped in the shrimp and stirred it for about 10 minutes (only slightly longer for fresh shrimp).

When the onions begin to turn transparent, dump it all over the spaghetti and mix.

That's it!

As an extra, I think cooked bacon or a spicy sausage would compliment the flavor. If I’d had some, I would have used it.