Bacon and Balsamic Chicken with Tangy Sweet Potatoes, inspired by Nigella Lawson

After being away for the better part of a week visiting my sister on Vancouver Island, I returned home having no idea what to cook for dinner let alone what I even had in the fridge.  After foraging around a little, I came across some chicken, bacon, sweet potato and lime.  Immediately, I started thinking of my most recent cook book purchase, "Simply Nigella".  I've been reading and cooking from the book which is full of recipes that are fresh and light.  In the spirit of the book, I wanted to make something that had a nice balance between rich decadence and bright freshness.  As well, I recently got to meet Nigella and have been really inspired by her food and life philosophies.

One of the things that I love about Nigella is her dislike of waste and how she loves to use up ingredients already on hand.  After driving all day, I wasn't about to go to the store and buy a whole grocery list of ingredients for dinner, so using what I had on hand was necessary and easy.  I was craving time in my kitchen cooking on my own stove, using familiar tools after being away.  As well, there's something about bright, sharp flavours that really appeals to me when I'm tired or feeling run down - in this case my travel weary palate was in need of a pick me up.  The combination of sweet potatoes, with lime and spicy heat is so delicious - you wouldn't think they would necessarily work well together, but the lime juice cuts through the sweetness of the sweet potato.  Exactly what I was in the mood for.

With regard to the protein component of this dish, obviously I'm not re-inventing the wheel here with the idea of wrapping chicken in bacon. However, there's a reason why some things are reduntantly popular;  because it tastes good.  I feel no sheepishness in re-producing and old concept and making it my own.  A chef by the name of Marco Pierre White once said "There will be new recipes when there are new ingredients". I absolutely agree...

In my case, I decided to marinade the chicken prior to wrapping bacon around it, too amp up the complexity of flavour and avoid being a one note bacon dish.  I also find whenever I wrap any kind of protein in bacon and roast in the oven, it's imperative to use a wire rack placed over a baking tray. This way, the majority of bacon grease falls off the chicken and into the pan allowing the bacon to crisp up.  Otherwise, what ends up happening is the side of the chicken touching the pan becomes flabby and chewy, not very appetizing.

It may seem pointless to add balsamic vinegar (reduction) when I already have an acidic component with the lime juice, however since I'm using what is essentially sweetened condensed balsamic, it softens the tang of the lime just slightly, rounding out the flavour. I used a store bought balsamic reduction, as it's easy and there's lots of good quality brands out there.  However, it's very simple to make from scratch - simply put some balsamic vinegar is a pan, add a good amount of honey (I would say about a 4 or 5 to 1 ratio of balsamic to honey), bring to a boil and then turn down the heat allowing the mixture to reduce by about half.  Cool and store at room temperature for months.  Not only is this incredibly easy to make, it's also a great gift for any occasion.  Last year, I made a big pot of the stuff along with dried herbs to give out as Christmas presents.

On to the recipe...

Quick Chicken Marinade Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts or thighs
Olive oil to coat (about 1/4 cup)
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 clove of garlic, grated
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction (see instructions above)
Red pepper flakes (to taste, I used about 1 teaspoon)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 slices of bacon to wrap around chicken after it's marinated.

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place all the ingredients in a plastic food storage bag and smoosh (very technical term) everything together with your hands (on the outside of the plastic bag) ensuring the chicken is coated well.  Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, remove the chicken from the bag and wrap one strip of bacon around each breast and then place on a wire rack set over a baking tray (see pic above). Roast in the oven for about 35 to 45 minutes or until the chicken is firm when pressed down on (or pierce through the bacon and chicken with a knife and look to see if the juices are still red inside).  Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

On to the sweet potatoes...

Sweet Potato Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
Olive oil (to coat the potatoes)
Red pepper flakes (to taste, again I use about 1 teaspoon)
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Parsley roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Toss all the ingredients together on a sheet pan (I don't use any lining such as parchment paper or aluminium foil as I find the potatoes brown better without), sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes or until well browned on the outside and soft on the inside.  Serve alongside the chicken and add another drizzle of balsamic reduction and a spritz of fresh lime juice before eating.