Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

tanglefoot chicken

(1 rating)
Recipe by
Shelia Baker
Springtown, MO

Inspired by the Smothered Chicken at Tanglefoot Restaurant, Festus, MO

(1 rating)
yield 4 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 45 Min
method Pan Fry

Ingredients For tanglefoot chicken

  • 4
    boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 sm
    onion, thinly sliced
  • 1
    bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 c
    mushrooms, sliced
  • 8
    strips bacon, crispy
  • 8 slice
    deli-style cheese: provolone, asiago, mozzarella, etc, your choice or 1 cup shred cheese
  • seasonings or bread crumbs for chicken, to taste
  • salt, pepper to taste and small amount of oil for initial cooking

How To Make tanglefoot chicken

  • 1
    Season and/or bread the chicken breasts to your preference & bake until done.
  • 2
    Add onions, peppers, and mushrooms to skillet, and cook few minutes until softened. Add crumbled bacon and heat through. Add chicken to the pan. Scoop all veggies evenly onto the chicken breasts, and top each mound with 2 slices of cheese (or 1/4 cup shred each, if you're using that kind). Cover and allow cheese to melt. Serve with crusty bread and your favorite starchy side (we prefer a creamy rice dish like Broccoli Casserole).
  • 3
    • A great tip to get more seasoning on the chicken is to butterfly the breasts. Simply take a sharp knife and slice through one of the long sides until about ¼” from the other edge, then fold open. I find that breasts butterfly best when partially frozen. They are firmer and much safer to slice open. Thaw until they begin to drain off liquid, but don’t bend easily when handled, then butterfly. This also helps ensure even “piling” of the veggies, and makes it easier to eat!
  • 4
    • If you don’t like bell peppers, try mild banana pepper rings or roasted red peppers, drained, and use a packet of Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix to season the chicken. After the red peppers are roasted, they lose most of that “bell” pepper taste. • For a Tex-Mex spin, season the chicken with taco mix and use jalapenos in place of the bell pepper. Pepper Jack cheese would go well with this version. • For a more comfort-food feel, try coating the chicken with dry gravy mix. The chicken juices will turn it into a nice sauce on the veggies. You may need a tiny bit of water with this version, if your chicken doesn’t release much liquid, but remember that the veggies will release some too. • In summer, a few tomatoes chopped and added to the veggie mix tastes great, especially with Italian seasoning on the chicken. If you’re craving this version & there are no good summer tomatoes to be had, try using canned, diced tomatoes, well drained. It’s almost as good. • Substitute boneless pork chops for the chicken for another twist.
  • 5
    At our house, we cook once and eat many times over, by freezing prepared meals for later use. This dish stands up well to the process. Simply freeze individual portions in foil pans, omitting the cheese.
  • 6
    Freeze until the day you want to eat it; place in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, remove, add cheese, return to oven for 10 more minutes or so to melt the cheese, and serve!
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