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| These are fun to eat with your fingers. Cut in half, they'd make great hors d'oeuvres. |
Here's a nifty and simple recipe that I'll be making again. I grow "purple sage" which is what I used. This is the kind of recipe that is more a "procedure" than ingredients exactly measured out.
- Fresh sage leaves
- Chicken tenders
- Seasoning (I used garlic powder, Lawrey's, Bell's Seasoning*, and freshly cracked pepper)
- Bacon, one slice per chicken tender
- Olive oil
Wash and pat dry the chicken tenders. If large, snip out the white tendon. Lightly season with seasoning of your choice. Place sage leaves the length of the tenderloin.
Wrap each with bacon. If your bacon has "fatty ends," trim. Wrapping can be a bit tricky. I found it easier to lay the tenderloin on top of the bacon, about an inch or two below the top end. Fold that end down on the chicken and then begin wrapping the the long end around it, raising the chicken up from the board as you go and stretching it a bit as you wrap it.
Grind fresh pepper over the wrapped chicken. Heat a pan over medium-low heat and drizzle just a bit of olive oil in the pan. Place bacon-wrapped chicken, sage side down. Fry until brown, about 6 minutes or so. Flip and crisp the other side. Remove to paper towel to blot and serve warm.
Notes: This is adapted from "Everyday Food." They used one large sage leaf per tenderloin and really didn't season the chicken. It's up to you. As an experiment, I did use pancetta with one which made wrapping easier, but I preferred those made with the bacon. I wouldn't grill these. Why? You want the sage leaves to 'crisp' as they fry. Grilling would just burn them.
*I love Bell's Seasoning. It is heavy on the rosemary and perfect for any poultry. And the little box is just beautiful packaging.
