CHICKEN KIEV WITH BACON AND ASPARAGUS

Chicken Kiev with Bacon and Asparagus image

Provided by Bob Blumer - Host of Surreal Gourmet and Glutton for Punishment

Time 55m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

8 strips bacon
12 asparagus tips (top 2 inches only)
4 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, tendons removed
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups bread crumbs (coarse if possible)
5 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

Steps:

In a frying pan, cook bacon until almost crispy.
Steam asparagus tips for 3 minutes.
Using a mallet, or other blunt instrument (the kind you keep beside your bed to ward off mad burglars), flatten chicken breasts by placing them, 1 at a time, between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap, and pound to 1/4-inch thickness.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In 3 separate bowls place: flour, eggs, beaten and bread crumbs. Line the 3 bowls in a row.
Complete the following procedure for each portion:
Take 1 flattened chicken breast, season with salt and pepper. Lay 2 strips of bacon side by side, on the top side of the chicken breast. Place 3 asparagus tips crosswise at 1 end and top with 1 tablespoon butter.
Starting at the end with the asparagus, roll up chicken like a carpet around the bacon, butter and asparagus, and tuck in the loose ends underneath.
Dip rolled chicken in the flour, then the egg, and then the bread crumbs, covering thoroughly at each step. Place in a shallow pan with the seam on the bottom. Place 1/4 tablespoon butter on top of each piece of chicken. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until cooked throughout. Towards the end, baste with pan drippings.