Creamy Bacon Chicken

These Creamy Bacon Chicken Breasts are dreamy, ultra creamy, quick and easy. Better still, it’s all made in one pan!

Chicken and bacon are a match made in heaven and we’re here today to celebrate that fact. This is the cosiest food you’ll ever make and the perfect addition to your dinner rotations! Follow me…

Preparing Chicken Breast (tips)

First thing you’ll want to do is bring your chicken close to room temp. Frying meat straight out the fridge causes it to seize up and start releasing a lot of moisture. This in turn causes the meat to come out tough and dry. Alongside this you won’t be able to brown the chicken properly because of the excess moisture, meaning you lose out on flavour.

Another tip when prepping chicken breast is butterflying each breast in two to double the quantity. This not only gives you a 2 for 1 kinda deal, but also means the chicken will cook through quicker and more evenly.

In terms of seasoning I keep it really simple for this one. The sauce itself is loaded with flavour and clings to the chicken really nicely. As such just a hefty pinch of salt and black pepper works just fine for the chicken seasoning. Bring out the best in the chicken but not to the point it overpowers the sauce.

Last tip is to use a combo of olive oil and butter to fry. The butter adds gorgeous flavour to the chicken whilst the olive oil helps prevent the butter from burning out.

Process shots: bring meat close to room temp (photo 1), slice in half (photo 2), season (photo 3), add butter and oil to pan (photo 4), add chicken (photo 5), fry both sides then remove (photo 6).

How to make Creamy Bacon Chicken

The sauce itself is an even split of chicken stock and cream. The flavour is deepened by freshly grated parmesan, alongside the fats from the bacon.

What bacon to use?

I like a thick cut streaky bacon. Choosing a thicker cut helps bulk out the dish a little more. Also opt for fattier cuts of bacon (i.e not medallions and definitely not turkey bacon). The fat helps create the base for the sauce.

Lemon Juice

I like to add a very gentle squeeze of lemon juice to the sauce. The sauce itself, as you can imagine is fairly richness. The lemon juice helps cut through the richness without altering the flavour too much. This is optional, but in all cases only 1/2-1tsp is needed.

Shallots vs Onion

I use shallots here, just because they’re a little sweeter than onions. This sweetness helps balance out the salty/richness of the sauce. The difference is minimal though so just use a regular white onion if that’s what you have. Just gently sweat them down to bring out their natural sweetness.

Process shots: add bacon to pan (photo 1), fry until crisp (photo 2), fry shallots (photo 3), fry garlic (photo 4), pour in stock and cream (photo 5), add fresh thyme (photo 6), simmer then stir in parmesan, lemon juice and s&p (photo 7), add chicken (photo 8).

Serving Creamy Bacon Chicken

Once you’ve added the chicken back into the pan just give them a good basting in the sauce then serve up! Here I’ve served with Salt & Vinegar Potatoes and Garlic Green Beans. Lemon Potatoes also go nicely, both are nice and vibrant/acidic which compliments this sauce really nicely. You could also use Roasted Baby Potatoes for something more herby (all Potato Recipes Here). Roasted Broccolini would also work as a great sub for the green beans!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this creamy bacon chicken shall we?!

How to make Creamy Bacon Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)

Creamy Bacon Chicken

These Creamy Bacon Chicken Breasts are dreamy, ultra creamy, quick and easy. Better still, it's all made in one pan!

4.83 from 17 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 4

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: Western

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 538kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £2 / $2.50

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Equipment:

• Large Pan & Tongs
• Wooden Spoon
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Jug (for stock & Cream)

Ingredients (check list):

• ▢ 2 large Chicken Breasts, brought close to room temp (approx 9oz/250g each)
• ▢ 5oz / 150g Thick Cut Bacon, chopped
• ▢ 3/4 cup / 180ml Chicken Stock
• ▢ 3/4 cup / 180ml Heavy/Double Cream, at room temp
• ▢ 1/3 cup / 30g freshly grated Parmesan
• ▢ 2 Shallots, finely diced
• ▢ 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
• ▢ 2 sprigs of Fresh Thyme, or sub a pinch of dried thyme (no more than 1/4 tsp or it'll be too overpowering)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Butter
• ▢ 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• ▢ 1/2 - 1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice, optional (see notes)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Salt plus more to taste
• ▢ 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper, plus more to taste

Instructions:

• Butterfly your chicken breasts right through the centre to make 4 even sized breasts. Coat in 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4-1/2 tsp pepper and rub into the meat.
• In a large pan over medium-high heat add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. Add chicken breasts and fry both sides until golden, with the centre cooked right through. Remove and place to one side.
• Lower heat to medium and add bacon. Fry until it turns nice and crispy. Drain excess fat if needed (a couple tsp worth is great for flavour, too much and the sauce will be greasy) and add in shallots. Continue frying until the shallots soften and begin to brown, then add garlic and fry for another 1-2mins.
• Pour in chicken stock and cream, then add thyme and give it a stir. Turn heat to low and gently simmer for 5mins, or until the sauce starts to thicken slightly. Stir in parmesan then add a very gentle squeeze of lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste. Don't go overboard with the lemon, this is just to cut through the richness of the sauce. Give it a final stir and simmer for another couple of minutes until the sauce thickens.
• Add in chicken breasts and baste in the sauce. Serve up and enjoy!

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Chicken - I prefer chicken breasts for this recipe but you could use thighs if you fancy! In both cases it's important to bring close to room temp or the meat will seize up and dry out.

b) Lemon Juice - This is purely to cut through the richness of the sauce, not necessarily to add flavour. I find 1/2 - 1 tsp does the trick so you won't need much. If you don't find the sauce too rich at all you can leave this out! 

c) Serving - This goes beautifully with either my Salt & Vinegar Potatoes or Lemon Potatoes, both are nice and vibrant/acidic which compliments this sauce really nicely. You could also use Roasted Baby Potatoes for something more herby (all Potato Recipes Here). I also serve with Garlic Green Beans but Roasted Broccolini also works well.

d) Calories - whole recipe divided by 4 (no sides).

Your Private Notes:

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Bacon Chicken

Amount Per Serving

Calories 538 Calories from Fat 372

% Daily Value*

Fat 41.34g64%

Saturated Fat 13.925g70%

Trans Fat 0.083g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.694g

Monounsaturated Fat 9.241g

Cholesterol 163mg54%

Sodium 696mg29%

Potassium 677mg19%

Carbohydrates 4.34g1%

Fiber 0.3g1%

Sugar 1.99g2%

Protein 36.21g72%

Vitamin A 838IU17%

Vitamin C 1.9mg2%

Calcium 116mg12%

Iron 0.87mg5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

Tried this recipe?Show me how you got on by tagging @dontgobaconmyheart_ on IG and #dontgobaconmyheart

Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

If you’re after another quick and easy creamy chicken recipe check out my Creamy Garlic Chicken and Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs!

For more creamy chicken breast recipes check out my Creamy Tarragon Chicken, Creamy Boursin Chicken and Creamy Garlic Mushroom Chicken!

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