Bacon-wrapped chicken roll-ups brushed with BBQ sauce and served with an easy-to-make pineapple cilantro rice. This is a weeknight-worthy dinner for two!

BBQ Chicken Roll-Ups with Pineapple Cilantro Rice

A pizza topped with chicken, BBQ sauce, bacon, and pineapple is not one that I would say “no” to, but I don’t often pull out the pizza peel and bake me up a homemade pizza so I took those toppings and turned them into this: BBQ chicken roll-ups on a bed of pineapple cilantro rice. It’s a little tropical, it feels like a proper dinner and takes less than an hour with the help of an Instant Pot. So, a weeknight-worthy dinner is what we have today.

How to Make the Chicken Roll-Ups

Since this is a recipe for two you really only need one large boneless skinless chicken breast. You will need to break out the meat mallet and pound it until it’s about 1/4″ thick, which will not only relieve you of the day’s stress but also make it a whole lot easier to roll the chicken up.
Tucked inside the roll-up are a couple slices of pepper jack cheese, but you could use Monterrey jack, provolone, mozzarella, or cheddar cheese. I buy the pre-sliced cheese that’s sold at the deli counter at the grocery store.
Once you’ve rolled up the chicken and cheese like a jelly roll, wrap the roll with a couple pieces of thick-cut bacon. This will also help relieve the day’s stress because there is nothing better than the smell of bacon wafting from the oven, but it will also add smoky flavor and help keep the chicken from drying out while it bakes. If you need to, you can secure the chicken roll-up with toothpicks, but I find if I roll it tight enough I can place it seam-side down on the baking pan and it holds together just fine.
Instead of slapping on a thick coat of BBQ sauce, I like to apply a few thin layers as the chicken bakes. That way you get a sticky, caramelized layers of sauce instead of a saucy layer of sauce.

How to Make the Pineapple Cilantro Rice

Of all the things I’ve made in my Instant Pot rice is one of my favorites. I always find it such a drag to make it on the stovetop because it needs constant attention otherwise it ends up stuck all over the bottom of the pan. With the Instant Pot you can just dump all of the ingredients in, turn it on, and less than 30 minutes later it’s done with no drama. I use an Instant Pot Duo Mini (3-quart).
And into the Instant Pot, along with the rice, goes some pineapple. I bought a small container of cubed fresh pineapple and finely chopped it. After you chop yours, be sure to get all the juices into the pot, too. Don’t leave it all on the cutting board.
De-seed a jalapeno and finely diced it.
Chop up some red onion and fresh cilantro.
I used long grain white rice for this recipe and I recommend that you rinse it first. This removes some of the starch so your rice isn’t too sticky or gummy once it’s cooked. You can substitute brown rice, but it will take a little longer to cook. You can, of course, make the rice on the stovetop. Add all of the ingredients in the pot and then follow the instructions on the package of rice. You will need more water for the stovetop than the Instant Pot, so be sure to add what is recommended on your package. It will take longer to cook.

More Chicken Dinner Recipes

Sheet Pan Chicken Ratatouille

Tuscan-Style Chicken Skillet

Spicy Chicken Ragu (Instant Pot)