How can you go wrong with chicken, bacon, cheddar and barbecue? You can’t! This dish is as easy as it is tasty, and better yet, it looks impressive (which is one of my favorite things: when something is easy but looks like it can’t be). My husband raved about this. My son gobbled every bite. That’s props, if there ever was any!

I have made rollatinis in various forms over the years, experimenting with different meats, stuffings, etc. But this — this one was an all-time favorite in my household. It came out so well, that it’s going to grace the table this weekend when my mother in law visits. It might just be the first non-Italian dish I have made on one of her trips to see us.

We ate this with green beans with brown butter (recipe coming tomorrow), but having a starch like roasted potatoes would be another good addition to round the meal out. I do suggest using downplayed side dishes, as this flavorful baby shouldn’t be competing for attention.

Be sure you have kitchen twine or toothpicks on hand to secure these delicious little rolls when cooking (and don’t forget to remove them before eating!).

Bacon Cheddar Barbecue Chicken Rollatini

1 lb chicken breast (boneless and skinless, thin sliced)
1/2 cup grated cheddar (sharp)
1 slice bacon per chicken breast
barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray an oven safe pan with cooking spray.

Wash chicken (remember, you need 1 lb of thin sliced chicken). Lay out pieces and divide cheddar evenly among them. Starting at one end, roll each one up tightly. Lay out bacon slices (these should be UNCOOKED) and wrap around each chicken roll. Secure with a wooden toothpick and place in the pan. Be sure that your toothpicks don’t have any plastic fringe on them or anything — that would be a disaster.

One all the chicken is rolled and wrapped, place the pan in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush each roll with about 1 tbsp barbecue sauce. I prefer a honey barbecue for this application like Sweet Baby Ray’s.

Return the pan to the oven and cook for 5-6 more minutes. Then, turn the oven off and turn the broiler on high. Do not open the door or remove the chicken from the oven. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes until the bacon is browned on top.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.