This Creamy Bacon Chicken is insanely flavored comfort food! The tender chicken fillets are smothered in a decadent creamy sauce that is loaded with bacon.
This is a 30-minute one-pan recipe!!! The chicken fillets and the bacon sauce are cooked together in the same skillet or frying pan, making this an easy weeknight meal that the whole family will love.
Serve this creamy chicken over pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or choose a side salad and some fresh bread.
Another chicken breast recipe 😉 what can I say? You guys love them! Every time I add one to my weekly newsletter, that is the recipe that gets the most clicks through.
And this morning's recipe is a winner! I mean it has chicken, cream, and bacon! What isn't better with bacon! Am I right?
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Making the dish
So this is a fabulously simple recipe as long as you follow the one rule. Use bacon that has some fat to it (i.e., please don't use turkey bacon!) and get it nice and crisp before you remove it from the pan.
Crispy bacon releases lots of bacon grease, and bacon grease is what is going to flavor the chicken and the sauce!
Like I said in my Scallop Pasta recipe, the crispy bacon is what turns this from a cream sauce to a bacon sauce, so you want to use bacon that releases some fat and gets nice and crispy!
The other thing you need to know how to do, is filleting a chicken breast to make two chicken fillets or chicken cutlets. (regular readers will know I do this ALL THE TIME!)
It is a great way to save money and also food waste. When you have large chicken breasts cutting them into two cutlets/fillets makes them go further and keeps them nice and juicy because they cook more quickly.
Filleting a chicken breast is just a fancy way of saying cut it in half lengthways! To do this, you want to place the chicken breast on a chopping board and cut through the middle as though you are opening it up like a book. Keep the knife parallel to the chopping board to get a nice even cut.
Check out my Creamy Mushroom Chicken post for more on filleting chicken.
Serving your chicken
Recipes like this really want something to mop up all the creamy sauce, so we always serve this dish with pasta or rice.
Our favorite is Garlic Bacon Rice or herb noodles. It is also delicious served with mashed potatoes (I make British mash rather than french mashed potatoes for this one, as they are just too rich for the cream sauce.)
Or go for a simple side salad and some crusty bread.
Add a glass of wine, and dinner is done!
What wine to choose
For white wine lovers, pair this creamy bacon chicken with an unoaked Chardonnay, a crisp Pinot Grigio or a Soave. They will all cut through the richness of the sauce and stand up to the salty bacon.
For red drinkers, try a Pinot Noir, a Chianti, or if you can find it an Italian Teroldego. They are bright enough to cut through the cream and light enough not to overpower the dish.
Enjoy x
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One Pan Creamy Bacon Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 6 slices bacon - see note 1
- 2 chicken breasts (large) - see note 2
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp butter
For the Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 onion (finely chopped) - see note 3
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp dry sherry – optional - see note 4
- ¾ cups chicken broth/stock
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- ½ tsp Dijon mustard - see note 5
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
Start with the bacon
- Chop the bacon into small dice.
6 slices bacon - Place a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat, add the bacon and cook for 8-10 minutes until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan, leaving behind the bacon fat/grease.
Prepare the chicken (while the bacon cooks)
- Pat the chicken breast dry to stop it sliding about the board.
2 chicken breasts - Lay the chicken breast flat on a chopping board.
- Use a large sharp knife to cut sideways through the breast.
- Continue to cut through the chicken breast, keeping the knife flat and parallel to the chopping board.
- Carefully cut through until you have two plump fillets. Repeat with the second chicken breast.
- If you find they are not an even thickness, you can use a meat mallet (or a heavy pan) to bash the plumper end down.
- Add the flour to a shallow dish.
¼ cup all-purpose flour - Season the chicken fillets on both sides with salt and pepper, then coat them lightly in the flour. (don't discard the flour yet)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
To finish the dish
- Add the butter to the bacon fat and once melted, add the floured chicken fillets to the pan.
1 tbsp butter
4 chicken fillets - Cook chicken for 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove the fillets to a plate, tent with foil, and set aside.
To make the sauce
- Turn the heat down to low, add the butter and chopped onion to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they have softened but not browned.
2 tbsp butter1 finely chopped onion - Add two tablespoons of the remaining dredging flour to the onions and stir to coat. (see note 6)
2 tbsp flour - Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and sherry (if using). Scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure you get every bit of flavor up.
¾ cups chicken broth/stock2 tbsp dry sherry (optional) - Add in ¾ of the crispy bacon and the dried thyme, then bring to a simmer and cook gently for a minute.
¾ of cooked crispy bacon
½ tsp dried thyme - Add the heavy cream, mustard, salt, and pepper to the pan and stir well.
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
½ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper - Add the chicken back into the pan, plus any collected juices. Simmer together for another 4 minutes until the sauce has thickened, and the chicken is heated through.
- Season to taste and serve sprinkled with the remaining bacon.
reamining crispy bacon
Notes
- Use a bacon that will release some fat, this is what makes the sauce. Please don't use turkey bacon, it doesn't give you the flavor.
- Using larger chicken breasts will make this process easier. Feel free to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs; instead, they will need to be cooked for 15-20 minutes instead of 8.
- You can replace the dry sherry with white wine or masala if you have that on hand instead. If you don't consume alcohol then just leave it out.
- Use any onion you have available, or substitute in two shallots.
- I use Dijon mustard, but you can use grain mustard, English mustard, or sweet American mustard.
- Don't worry about using the flour that has touched the raw chicken; it is going to be cooked out and will be perfectly safe. Once you have added the flour to the sauce, the remaining flour needs to be thrown away. If you don't have enough flour left to make up 2 tablespoons then add fresh flour.
Nutrition
Lisa says
This is a favorite of my daughter. She is a picky eater, but she'll ask for this and loves it. Thank you for sharing it.
Claire McEwen says
Oh Lisa, that has made my day!!
So pleased to have helped 🙂
Cx
De Reiger says
Wow,very nice it is perfect to cook for may family.Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe to us.
Claire McEwen says
Oh I am so pleased you enjoyed it 🙂
Cx