Simply Done | Pork Chops with Caramel Citrus Glaze

This blog is not about travel but, travel figures into the story of this meal. We spent the weekend in California to catch a BNL concert. On the way home, we decided to take the road less traveled and were rewarded with the amazing vista above Palm Springs.  As the miles passed beneath our tires we knew that we were one step closer to the "normality" of home - picking lemons from the tree (the second such harvest, if you want lemons, give me a shout), grocery shopping, laundry, and dinner decisions.  Before we hit the state line, I had already decided that I had hit my limit of dining out so, I would need to cook tonight.

Standing in our local Fresh & Easy store, I pondered our options.  Thanks to whatever unholy winds blew through the Phoenix area while we were gone, grilling was really out of the picture (I would have to clean it before I cooked out there and I just did not feel like it) so, I was gravitating towards doing something in the oven.  We haven't had pork lately so I was leaning that way and then I saw the, "Simple Pork Chops with Caramel Citrus Glaze" in the meat section and we were off to the races.  With an ingredient list that I can actually pronounce and understand, simple oven instructions, we had a foundation of a meal that we served with parmesan roasted potatoes and green beans.  I cannot blame the chefs at the store for their decision (I would rather have under-seasoned than over-seasoned), but I felt this was a little bland and I added some Cavender's to add some depth of flavor.  My only other knock was some that my chop had a lot more fat on it than I would like but, a knife fixed that once it was pulled from the oven.  Though I applied a couple of tweaks, this was a great pick to keep us out of another restaurant.

I have a bonus product review for your consideration. I have said for years to cook meat to temperature and not time.  For years I have used a Polder probe thermometer for bigger items but, it is a pain the butt to use on smaller things (like pork chops).  I found a simple, cost effective solution in the OXO Good Grips Digital Instant Read Thermometer.  Though you should not leave this in the meat while it is on the grill or in the oven (the plastic housing of the digital readout will melt), it is a great tool to quickly check where you are at.  Caution, this is not really an "instant" unit, but you will see the numbers climb and stabilize within about five or so seconds (which should work nicely for what you need it to do). 

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Garlic Basil Cream Cheese

Kauai - wonderful beaches, an excellent place to get away from your mainland cares, and someplace that has chickens wandering all over the place.  Since returning, I have been on a eat all the chicken I can get my hands on kick.  Yes, this is a thinly veiled attempt at revenge for having to listen to them crow/cluck/annoy us at every hour of the day.

I also firmly believe that bacon makes everything better and tonight's entree is a result of that belief and a willingness to experiment with the stuff that we had in the fridge.

Let's start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees and gathering the following ingredients;

• Boneless chicken breast (one for each person)
• One tablespoon of cream cheese per breast
• One clove of garlic per breast (in my case that is a Dorot garlic cube in place of each clove)
• Couple of basil leaves (in my case two Dorot basil cubes).
• One piece of raw bacon per breast (I like the thicker cut)
• Wooden toothpicks.

Directions

1. Separate the needed amount of cream cheese into a bowl
2. Mince, press or finely chop the garlic and basil. (upper left)
3. Stir into the cream cheese - Tim's Tip, allow the cream cheese to soften a bit outside of the fridge to make this easier.
4. Flatten or butterfly (personally, I prefer to flatten them) the chicken breasts.  If you have it, you can use a clean mallet to make this easier. The fact that you can get rid of a bit of aggression is my bonus gift to you. (upper right)
5. Spread the desired amount of cream cheese onto one face of the flattened chicken breasts.
6. Gently roll the breast up starting with the smaller end. Be sure that it is even on both sides.
   
7. Take your piece of bacon and starting at one side of the breast, wrap it tightly around the chicken. Secure the bacon with a toothpick (again, do not use a plastic toothpick - that will not be good eats), be sure to remember how many you put in so you can pass the pop quiz remembering to remove them all) prior to serving. (lower right)
8. Place in either a small baking dish or on a baking sheet. Personally, I use a ceramic sheet, lined with parchment paper.
9. Place on the center rack of the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
10. Clean all the stuff that the chicken touched or even thought about touching. I mean it, do not skip this step - I cannot stress how important hot water, lots of soap and Clorox bleach wipes are to avoid revenge of the chicken. If you do not believe me then, listen to the US Government - they never lie... (lower left)
11. When the chicken is done (juices run clear) you can move the chicken up to a higher rack in the oven and turn the broiler on, leaving the oven door open a bit. This will help the bacon crisp up a bit. Once your bacon gets to the amount of crispy yummy you want, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

There you go - well worth the prep time and my yummy revenge for all the racket while in paradise...