Last week I mentioned that I am learning how to save money when buying groceries. Back in Mexico my dad, being the administrator of the restaurant, was the one in charge of buying food for the house. Every week he would go to Central de Abasto (the largest market on earth that provides food and groceries to one of the largest cities on earth) to buy everything needed for the restaurant and a little bit more for the house. We would only go to the local market or convenience store when we were out of something that was needed right away. The supermarket was an unknown and exciting place that we visited only when there were sales on knitting needles and equipment or threads. My mom loves to knit.
I never paid much attention on how much food cost until recently when our budget got tight. Now I understand why my dad would walk all over Central de Abasto buying from different vendors and why we wouldn’t buy food at the supermarket. His motto was to get the best quality ingredients for the best price. And he was very good at it. Here in Ohio we don’t have markets like that, but I am learning where to buy more for less, without sacrificing quality. That is a hard task!
Anyway, I got several pounds of chicken that was on sale at the Mexican market and froze it. Now I have a lot of chicken, which is always a good thing, and will be posting several chicken recipes. This particular recipe doesn’t require much and I used ingredients that I always keep in my fridge and pantry and I used the ranch salad dressing that I’ve been saving for awhile. This was a delicious dinner and perfect for Frugal Fridays.
Chicken and bacon rolls
For this recipe you will need:
- 2 chicken breasts, flattened
- 6 turkey bacon strips
- 2 thick strips queso fresco
- 1/2 cup ranch salad dresssing
- salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F
- Place 3 bacon strips side by side. Place chicken breast on top and a strip of queso fresco in the top end of the breast. Roll tightly. (See pictures below)
- In a heavy skillet fry rolls making sure that the seam side faces down first. Fry until lightly brown.
- Transfer rolls to a baking dish and cover with ranch salad dressing. Bake for 40 minutes.
Remember to check out Frugal Fridays for more delicious and frugal dinners under US$10.
¡Buen provecho!
24 Replies
wow, that looks yummy. Since we got a freezer we are big on buying meats on sale, its such a great way to save money
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Ahh haah, I thought that was turkey bacon from your photo post at Gather.com. I was trying to figure out the turkey-chicken combo and that made the most sense. Glad I checked it out though, to solve my curiousity. Gotta love this recipe. Frozen chicken is indeed a “good thing.” ; )
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Ben, these rolls look amazing and bacon always is a welcome ingredient.
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
This is so simply prepared and would be delightful to sere to guests. This is my favourite style of food, with oodles of flavour. Thank you!
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I like to do a monthly trip to Costco & buy in bulk. I also buy my meat for the freezer and I think this helps me to save money on my grocery bill. Very nice meal.
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I can just imagine the extra juiciness the bacon would provide the chicken and cheese. Lovely!
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
What are you doing to me? I’m hungry again. LOL. This looks awesome. The whole combo is deadly, but oh so good!!! And I love that even though you say it’s perfect for “Frugal Fridays”, this doesn’t look frugal at all.
Ok, here’s a stupid question for ya: What is that cheese? Can I get it from regular supermarkets?
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
An excellent Frugal dinner. It’s delicious and filling and it didn’t cost a bundle. Good job Ben. Thanks for the idea too. We’re cooking chicken alot more at our house now, so I’ll add your recipe suggestions to my list.
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
I particularly enjoyed the back story of your Dad and the market in Mexico…and this economical dish misses nothing.
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Oh yeah… chicken breasts cooked in bacon. If you’re gonna add fat to a lean meat it better be bacon, right?
Posted on October 16th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
So yu are getting frugal, well there is nothingwrong with it, all of us should do it.
It might be a frugal dish, but it looks delicious and that is really important.
Posted on October 17th, 2008 at 6:39 am
This looks perfect enough for guests ben…who woul never know it was cost efficient too:D
Posted on October 17th, 2008 at 7:10 am
I never knew that there is turkey bacon. Chicken is not only cheap but also healthy to eat. The dish looks great
Posted on October 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
That looks so tasty, I love bacon wrapped chicken. Sometimes we do it on the bbq.
The fresh cheese in the middle is a great touch, and it all looks so beautiful and fresh on the bed of greens.
Posted on October 18th, 2008 at 7:42 am
wow, i think wrapping the chicken with bacon makes it more flavorful…
Posted on October 18th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
These look really tasty. I haven’t seen that fresh cheese before, would goats cheese or mozzarella be better as a substitute?
Posted on October 18th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Very timely post Ben, we could all use some cost effective recipes, in this recent economic crisis!
Posted on October 18th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Yummm…looks great!
Posted on October 19th, 2008 at 2:14 am
Ben, award waiting for you… thanks for all the lovely recipes…
Posted on October 19th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever tried wrapping bacon around anything. I’m sure it would taste great!
Posted on October 20th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I wrapped it in regular bacon and it was fantastic too. I’ll definitely be making this over and over again.
Posted on October 20th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
We all have to tighten the belt quite a bit so we are all finding exciting ways to save money…Thank you for posting this recipe….I do not think the family will even know that they are on a budget…
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 am
chicken, cheese, bacon, and ranch dressing?? Could anything be better than that??? Yummm
Posted on October 22nd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Thanks for the tasty recipe. I posted my version here.
Posted on November 23rd, 2008 at 10:14 am
Leave a reply