CrockPot Bacon and Cheese Chicken Recipe

Day 170.

I was blog surfing the other day and found a recipe entitled Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken. I knew that this was something that I had to try, and printed it out on the spot.

The internet loves bacon. It cracks me up how the love of bacon makes it's way through the blogosphere---I read about bacon on parenting blogs, life blogs, DIY blogs, and business blogs. Probably because I'm allergic to pork, I don't have an amazing love affair with bacon. I have discovered that beef bacon is very tasty, and according to my pork-eating family and friends, it tastes marvelous, and maybe even better.

But I don't crave the flavor of bacon. Now chicken and apple sausages are another thing...

I actually used turkey bacon for this recipe, since I had a bunch left over from the jalapeno poppers.

The Ingredients.

Adapted from Bacon Cheeseburger Chicken

--2 T olive oil

--4-6 chicken breast halves, or equivalent bird pieces (I used 8 breast tenders)

--12 pieces cooked and crumbled bacon

--1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (I used Tamari's wheat-free that I found at Whole Foods)

--1/2 cup Ranch salad dressing

--1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

The Directions.

Put the 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of your crock and spread it around. If you are using thighs or fattier cuts of meat, this step is probably optional.

Put the chicken in the crock on top of the oil.

In a small bowl, combine the teriyaki sauce and the ranch dressing. I kept tasting this---the flavor is so bizarre and tasty; I've never had anything like it.

Pour sauce over the top of the chicken. Add the shredded cheese and the crumbled bacon to the crock, getting between the chicken pieces, if you can.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4. The cooking time will depend on how thick your chicken pieces are, and if they are fresh or frozen.

Since I used the tiny breast tenders (frozen) our dinner cooked in only 3 hours on high.

The Verdict.

We all loved this. It didn't remind us of a cheeseburger, though, and most of the dinner conversation revolved around the name and how it would be misleading to throw in the word "burger." I thought the use of the word was cute, but ultimately, I lost 1 to 5. (my brother and his wife were over for dinner. Hi Andy! Hi Karen!)

Very tasty. Thank you to Kevin and Amanda!