Bacon Shingled Chicken with Honey Mustard

Check out this pretty presentation, and then savor the unbelievable flavor. You'll be worshiping the sensational (and simple) blend of honey mustard and bacon; as they bake together in the oven, they create the perfect balance of salty, sweet and tangy. Nestle that on top of chicken, and well, you get the point.

How much chicken do you REALLY need? This recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts, assuming the chicken breast halves are 4 to 5 ounces each. But have you seen the enormous chicken breasts these days? They're incredibly large - 1 chicken breast half is often the equivalent of two. If that's what you have, select two larger chicken breast halves (about 10 ounces each) and divide them in half to make 4 equal pieces.

Bacon Shingled Chicken with Honey Mustard

Cooking spray
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 4-5 ounces each
2 tablespoons honey mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
8-10 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Using a small, sharp knife, make several slices into the top of the chicken, at a slight angle, not straight up and down (this way the bacon slices won't fall out as they cook and shrink).
Insert the bacon pieces into the slices in the chicken, slightly over-lapping them to create shingles.
Brush the honey mustard all over the chicken and bacon and then season with salt and pepper.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the bacon is crisp-tender.

Serves 4