Gluten Free Coriander Mesquite Barbecue Chicken with Roasted Fries & Bacon Aioli Recipe

Succulent chicken breast gets wrapped in bacon and coriander and smothered in rich barbecue sauce and melted cheese. Served with roasted fries and homemade bacon aioli, this one's a firm family favorite!

Feeds 2 adults

Coriander Mesquite Barbecue Chicken with Roasted Fries & Bacon Aioli Recipe 

I'd been meaning to make bacon aioli for a month before I finally got around to it. Before Callum was born, the husband and I used to have our version of fish and chips--fried shrimp with roasted fries and aioli--almost weekly. Purely delicious. But since Callum has a suspected shellfish allergy, we've stopped having it and I hadn't made aioli since before I was pregnant. Then, a few months ago, we went out for dinner to a local burger joint and had sweet potato fries with bacon aioli and I knew I needed to recreate it!

Making mayonnaise (that's what aioli is) is dead easy and if you've not tried it, you should give it a go! I love that this bacon aioli is much creamier and firmer than shop-bought mayo. I served it with roasted fries, but it would be equally good slathered on bread in a bacon sandwich or even on a burger bun!

I also paired it with that delicious coriander mesquite barbecue chicken up there. The chicken is wrapped with coriander and bacon and baked and then smothered with barbecue sauce and cheese and baked again until the cheese melts. It's delicious and it's my take on that Pinterest favorite, Monterey Chicken.

Most importantly, this is an easy dish to make for weeknight dining and you'll find a million uses for the bacon aioli! Trust me!

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Ingredients:

For the coriander mesquite chicken
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic granules
2 chicken breasts
4 slices streaky bacon
fresh coriander to taste
Edam or other cheese to taste
barbecue sauce to taste

For the bacon aioli
1/8 tsp sugar
3/4 cup sunflower oil
2 egg yolks
4 tsp lemon juice
4 slices streaky bacon, chopped
salt
lemon pepper

For the roasted fries
1 white potato
2 sweet potatoes
olive oil spray
salt

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Instructions:

Coriander Mesquite Barbecue Chicken with Roasted Fries and Bacon Aioli

1. Preheat your oven to 200C/400F
2. Combine the honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic and massage well into both pieces of chicken, on all sides
3. Scatter fresh coriander over the chicken and cover and leave to marinate 30 minutes at room temperature. Make sure the chicken is out of direct sunlight. If you prefer to marinate in the fridge, you will need to be sure the chicken marinates for at least 2 hours.
4. While the chicken marinates, make the aioli.
5. Fry the chopped bacon in a bit of oil until cooked through. Allow to cool.
6. Add the egg yolk, lemon juice and sugar to a food processor along with the cooled bacon and the remaining grease from the bacon pan.
7. Pulse the processor a few times to incorporate the ingredients and break down the bacon.
8. Turn the processor on the lowest setting and slowly drizzle in the oil until it begins to emulsify and mayonnaise starts to form.
9. Once you have reached your desired consistency, season with salt and lemon pepper, decant the mayonnaise into a smaller container and refrigerate until needed.
10. Wrap each chicken breast crossways with 2 slices of bacon, being sure to keep the coriander beneath the bacon.
11. Bake the bacon-wrapped chicken in an ovenproof dish drizzled with some of the leftover marinade or a bit of oil. Bake the chicken for 25 minutes.
12. Meanwhile peel the potatoes and slice them into fries.
13. Arrange them on a baking tray and spray with olive oil and roast 30 to 35 minutes or until they are golden and cooked through.
14. Remove from the oven and neatly spoon over a bit of barbecue sauce onto each breast. Top the barbecue sauce smothered chicken with a handful of cheese and return to the oven long enough for the cheese to melt.
15. Serve with the roasted fries and the bacon aioli.

Love this? Try these other fabulous, easy dinners:

 Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

20 Minute; 4 Ingredient Pork Chops & Gravy

Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas and Roasted Lime