Jalapeno & Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken

This has been our entree for Christmas Dinner for the last several years and is a family favorite with many at our house.  It is a recipe that I created by adapting and merging a few other recipes initially.  It has also evolved over the years.  Pardon the pictures.  I didn't remember to take them until all the damage had been done.  (o:
 

Boneless skinless chicken breasts

fresh, raw jalapenos - not pickled (one per chicken breast)

cream cheese - cold and straight out of fridge - one 8 ounce block is enough for 16 chicken breasts

salt & spice

bacon

toothpicks

Remove stems from jalapenos, slit them down one side with a knife then remove seeds.  A baby spoon works really well for removing the seeds.  Cut cream cheese into sticks about the size of your pinky finger and coat each stick in S&S.  I pour S&S in a bowl and roll the sticks around in it.  Stuff one cream cheese stick into each pepper.  Pound each chicken breast to about 1/4 inch and wrap around a stuffed pepper.  Wrap chicken breast in strip of bacon and secure with toothpicks.

Place stuffed chicken breasts in glass baking dish and cover with foil.  Bake 1-2 hours or until juices run clear.  Remove foil the last 10 to 15 minutes of baking to allow bacon to brown.

We have found that about half way through the baking it helps to remove the foil and drain some of the liquid from the pan then put it back in the oven.  On the baking time: plan on it taking longer than you think.  We did 18 chicken breasts this year and it took about 2 1/2 hours for baking time alone.  This dish is obviously a 2-man job with all that it entails, but I assure you it is well worth the work.  My suggestion is to get an assembly line going when assembling.  This year we had 3 sets of hands working: 1 pounding chicken, 1 working with cream cheese and peppers, and 1 wrapping and securing.  We had it done in no time.