Minutes to Prepare
Cthulhu is an old god. Much like the old gods this dish will anchor a place of legend in your dinner aresenal. An all original by yours truely Bacon Wrapped Cthulhu is the result of years of testing and risk taking.
A smokey, savory dry rubbed chicken breast wrapped in hickory smoked bacon, baked crisp and topped with thick melted mozzeralla. Placed on a fried potato straw nest this is centerpiece worth the time.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
- 1lb Hickory Smoked Bacon (Thick Cut)
- 4 tbs Paprika
- 1 tbs Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbs Parsley
- 1 tbs Basil
- 1.5 tbs Onion Powder
- 1.5 tbs Granulated Garlic
- 2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 3 tbs Salt
- 4 Small potatoes ( I used red here, however pick your favorite just keep them the size of a large lemon )
- 2 cups Canola Oil
- 2 Cups Crisco
- Butchers Twine
- Candy Thermometer
Start by trimming all of the excess fat, and other tissue from the chicken breasts. Using your knife, slice down the back side of the chicken breast.
Be careful not to cut all the way through! You will end up making chicken tenders!
Cutting the chicken this way serves two purposes:
- Allows for even cooking.
- Creates a center that can be stuffed with aromatics, or more surface area for our rub!
After you disgard the trimmings, add your spices into a medium bowl and mix. I try to make enough for each dish. This way I can avoid cross contaminating any left overs with raw products.
If you so desire you can scale up this rub mix, just pour out what you need into a seperate dish before applying.
This step is not a science, it is a labor of love. I start with the open cut side of the chicken and coat fully. Leave now chicken uncovered!
After you have coated the chicken (Did you coat all of it? What about that one spot, you know, the one you may have forgotten?) Place them gently in a gallon sized zip lock bag. Let them rest while you prepare the potato stage and get out the bacon.
For the potato nest, I will be using a spiralizer that KitchenAid sells. I use the heck out of this attachement to create new and unique components to my dishes.
Wash your potatoes and place them in a bowl. I prep the first one just to burn a bit of time while the chicken and rub marry in the bag.
Now that the rub has had a chance to pull some moisture from the chicken, lets start wrapping everything in bacon!
Start by cutting 12 strands of butchers twine the length of your largest chicken breast. This will ensure each piece is long enough.
Get your bacon and chicken out and ready!
Start by placing 3 strips of bacon on your working surface. Overlap them slightly starting with laying the first piece farthest from you. Place your chicken breast in the center and gently wrap the bacon around it. Start with one side, then the other. It will be loose on the end, but that is ok we are going to tie it with the twine.
With a piece of twine and starting from the front of the chicken, place the twine flat against the working surface and gently floss the twine back and forth to the first or front piece of the chicken. I tie it off with a basic square knot. There are ALL SORTS of knots to use, I just prefer the square knot.
Repeat the twine step with flossing from front to back and tying of. Make sure to cut any excess twine off, fire in this recipe is BAD.
Prepare a heavy bottom skillet with a 1:1 mix of Canola Oil and Crisco. For the skillet I am using it works our to 2 cups of each. Your goal is to create 2 inches of depth to fry your potatoes in. I use this mix to increase the smoke point of the oil. This helps stabilize flavor and keep your potatoes tasting great!
Slowly raise your oil to 400°, depending on your thermometer it will be listed on the side. Your oil will vary (cool) 25-50° as you fry the potatoes. This is normal, and not a part of this meal you walk away from anyway. Keep close tabs!
Add your chicken to the rack of your choice while your temperature rises. I will explain more in the next step.
Pre-heat your chosen inferno vessle. For this writeup I will be using the Instat Vortex Air Fryer. You can use a standard oven pre-heated to 400° for 35 minutes.
Place your wrapped chicken on a broiler pan or wire racked pan. The idea here is to elevate the chicken so it is not sitting in the bacon grease as it cooks. (Not only is this healthier, it helps the bacon from becoming soggy.
While our chicken is in the oven, lets get started on the nests!
Place your freshly spiraled potato into your 400° oil. Fry to a light golden color, (2-3 min) then flip for another 2 min. Your potatoes will fry to a crisp very quickly this thin. Take care your oil doesn’t get too hot. Oil that spikes in temp can ruin the taste, or quickly burn the potato.
Pull your potatos out of the oil when they have reached a nice golden color. Place them on a rack (cooling rack on a cookie sheet works great) and lightly salt right away. Repeat these steps for the remaining nests.
Place your nests in an oven set to keep them warm (140°F – 150°F).
**Do NOT put these on any paper towels. This only holds oil against the nests, and worse will ignite in the oven!**
At the end of 35 minutes pull your chicken out. Your bacon should have good crisp to them. With kitchen scissors (No mom.. I’m not using your fabric siccors!!) remove the butchers twine.
After you have removed the twine, add your mozzeralla, and dust with smoked paprika, and parsley.
Place your chicken back in your chosen heating vessel for 3-4 min or long enough to fully melt the mozzeralla.
Finally, remove from heat, plate on a perfectly crisp potato nest and serve!
