Philadelphia Chicken - Stuffed and Bacon wrapped

Philadelphia chicken is probably the easiest chicken dish that you can prepare with just a few ingredients, little preparation and it cookd in less than 30 minutes.

Simple enough for busy weeknights, but grand enough for entertaining too, this cream cheese stuffed chicken is moist, tender and delicious.

It's a real family favourite that you will make again and again!

Bon appétit!   

This cream cheese stuffed chicken recipe only has 3 basic ingredients, that many people normally have in their kitchens, which makes it so easy to make this as an entertaining dish at the last minute.

The flavours in this dish are also not strong, and as there are no bones, it's great as a family friendly dish too.

And, if you think that chicken breast cooked in the oven can be dry and tasteless then thing again! The bacon keeps the chicken juicy, while flavouring the meat, and the creamy Philadelphia cheese stops the inside from drying out too.

In fact, bacon wrapped chicken was a really popular dish in the early 2000s, but it was often overcooked and dry. This version will deliver every time. and it's naturally gluten free too.

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Roasting time
• 🥗 Side dishes
• SUBSTITUTIONS
• 📖 VARIATIONS
• 🍽 EQUIPMENT
• STORAGE
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🥘 Ingredients

• Chicken breast - skinless and boneless and defrosted if frozen.
• Philadelphia cream cheese - garlic and herb flavoured makes it really easy to get so much flavour into the chicken with very little effort. Avoid the really low fat versions as they tend to be more watery when heated.
• Smoked streaky bacon - The fat in the bacon from the belly of a pig helps keep the chicken moist and helps the chicken hold its shape. I understand that standard American bacon is the same.
• Tarragon - chicken and tarragon are perfect together so adding some freshly chopped tarragon makes a huge difference to the flavour.

See recipe card for quantities.

💭 Top tip

• If you don't have access to fresh tarragon then use dried. Swap 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs for 1 teaspoon of dried herbs.

🔪 Instructions

Remove the tarragon leaves from the stem and chop before mixing with the cream cheese.

Next, butterfly the chicken breast. This basically means opening out the meat to a uniform thickness.

Place the chicken breast on a chopping board. Take a sharp knife and start cutting from the side, starting at the thicker part. The aim is to open the breast out into a similar shaped portion without cutting all the way through.

Add a quarter of the Philadelphia cheese along the middle cut.

Lay out three pieces of streaky bacon on a chopping board then carefully wrap up the chicken with the loose ends tucked underneath.

💭 Top tip

• If the chicken breast are small then 2 slices of bacon will be enough.

Place on a roasting tray and season with freshly ground black pepper. There's no need to add extra salt as there should be enough salt in the bacon.

⏲️ Roasting time

Place in a preheated oven, 180C/350F/Fan160/Gas 4 and bake for 20 mins. If the breasts are particularly thick they may need up to 30 minutes.

If you are in any doubt the internal temperature should be 75C/165F.

Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the juices to settle before serving.

🥗 Side dishes

• Potatoes Boulangère
• Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Easy Roast Potatoes
• Spicy Green Beans
• Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks

SUBSTITUTIONS

If you know how to make the recipe fit a certain diet, let the reader know here. Don't fake it - only provide guidance on topics you have actual experience with.

• chicken - use turkey breast portions instead
• Philadelphia cheese - use any plain cream cheese, if you prefer it without the garlic and herb flavour.
• Bacon - use turkey rashers if you prefer.

Even if your reader doesn't follow a specific diet (eg. gluten free), they may have friends or family that they're cooking for that could use this. This is also a great idea to link out to another blogger with a similar recipe that fits a different diet.

📖 VARIATIONS

Giving the visitor ideas on how they can change this recipe to better suit their dinner guests, or their cultural cuisine, is a great way to increase the chances they make the recipe

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes to plain cream cheese or some chopped red chillies. banana peppers
• Deluxe - add some chiopped sun dried tomatoes to the cream cheese and add a few baby spinach leaves then wrap in serrano or proscuitto for an elegant, Italian themend dish.

🍽 EQUIPMENT

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

• sharp knife for cutting the chicken
• metal roasting dish

STORAGE

Allow any leftovers to cool then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Slice the chicken to use in sandwiches, salads or pasta dishes.

FAQs

More recipes like this

• Turkey Ballotine
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Spanish Chicken Bake
• Lemon Garlic Chicken Bake

📋 Recipe

FOOD SAFETY

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended'
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

⭐ Reviews