6 split chicken breasts
1/2 lb. Italian sausage meat
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
4 strips hickory or maple flavored bacon, chopped
1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/8-1/4 teaspoon each onion and garlic powder
1 cup sherry
6 bacon strips
salt and pepper, to taste
wooden toothpicks or butcher's string

Sauté the sausage meat with fresh, minced garlic in 1/2 tablespoon olive oil; as the sausage begins to take on color, add the 4 bacon strips and fry til bacon is crisp and sausage is slightly browned, removing meat as it cooks. Add butter to pan and sauté the mushrooms over medium heat. Stir in bread crumbs and parsley. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Stir together well and pour in sherry to moisten. Remove from heat and stir in the sausage mixture.

Preheat grill until it reaches 350°F.

Split chicken breasts and pound with a meat mallet between sheets of plastic wrap. Do not make too thin. Spread sausage and bread crumbs mixture on each chicken breast, and roll up so that chicken is stuffed on the inside. Wrap each piece with a strip of bacon and fasten with a wooden toothpick or tie into little bundles with cotton string that has been pre-soaked in water.

Spray chicken with olive oil spray and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder, paprika and black pepper.

Prepare grill for cooking over indirect heat, oiling the grates on the side opposite the lit burners so that chicken will not stick. Place chicken on the side of the grill which is not turned on, but leave the other side of the grill on high. Close cover on grill and watch temperature; reduce heat to 325°F and continue to grill for about 15 minutes, then turn once and leave for another 15 minutes or so (this depends on the size of the chicken pieces).

When chicken is pierced with a fork and juices run clear, it is done.

If chicken appears dry during cooking, spray or baste as needed with olive oil spray or olive oil, but do not leave the grill cover up for too long or the heat will be lost.

During the last 15 minutes of cooking, Grilled Potatoes can be put on the hot grill as an excellent accompaniment to this dish.

Submitted by: CM