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Bacon/ Cheese/ Chicken/ Hearty Dinners

Hunters Chicken

March 30, 2022 (Last Updated: December 16, 2022) by Chris Collins

Here I’ll show you the easiest and most delicious to make the British pub classic Hunters Chicken!

Hunters Chicken is THE perfect midweek meal. It requires minimal prep and is ready in around 30mins. Plus, it never fails on flavour. Follow me…

close up overhead shot of hunters chicken in skillet garnished with chives

Hunters Chicken Ingredients

At its heart, this recipe only requires 4 main ingredients. I like to add a couple of additions, but they’re not deal breakers. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Chicken – boneless skinless chicken breasts.
  • BBQ Sauce – try and grab a good quality sauce as it makes up a big bulk of the recipe.
  • Cheese – cheddar is traditional and typically what I use.
  • Bacon – streaky bacon, smoked or unsmoked.
  • Seasoning – I like to season the chicken in smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. You can get away with salt and black pepper though if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Chives – to garnish, for an extra pop of colour and flavour.

Can I use a different cheese?

I sometimes sneak in some mozzarella with the cheddar, which works great. You can use all mozzarella, it’ll just lack slightly in flavour. Monterey Jack works nicely, as does Red Leicester.

overhead shot of hunters chicken ingredients with text labels

Preparing Hunters Chicken

Typically hunters chicken is layered as chicken topped with bacon, then BBQ sauce then cheese. It does the trick, but I find wrapping the chicken in bacon gives you a far better result. This not only helps keep the chicken from drying out, but it also brings the dish together a bit more, instead of the toppings just sliding off a plain chicken breast.

When wrapping the chicken, just make sure the end of each bacon strip is tucked underneath the chicken. Just to ensure it doesn’t unravel in the oven. You can make Hunters Chicken in a large cast-iron skillet or a shallow baking dish.

Process shots: sprinkle seasoning over both sides of the chicken (photo 1), wrap in bacon (photo 2), add to skillet or baking dish (photo 3), bake until the chicken is cooked (photo 4).

4 step by step photos showing how to prepare hunters chicken

Making Hunters Chicken

So after you’ve baked the chicken you’ve essentially got yourself chicken wrapped in bacon, which ain’t all that bad. But a Hunters Chicken ain’t a Hunters Chicken without the BBQ sauce and cheese.

Once you’ve smothered the chicken in sauce and cheese, I recommend popping it under the grill to melt the cheese. You could place it back in the oven and melt it that way, but you run the risk of the chicken overcooking by the time the cheese melts.

Can you make Hunters Chicken ahead of time?

I don’t recommend fully making it and reheating, just because the chicken won’t be as juicy. If you want to get ahead of the game I’d recommend just seasoning and wrapping the chicken, then tightly storing it in the fridge until needed.

4 step by step photos showing how to make hunters chicken

close up shot of hunters chicken fresh out the oven in skillet with fresh chives

Serving Hunters Chicken

Once the cheese has melted, I like to finish with some fresh chives. I recommend adding these if you have them, just because they add a final pop of flavour. But I wouldn’t make a special trip to the shop just solely for them.

What to serve with Hunters Chicken

Here’s a few ideas for you:

For another delicious chicken wrapped in bacon recipe check out my Spinach Artichoke Chicken Wrapped in Bacon!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this Hunters Chicken shall we?!

close up shot of hunters chicken on small white plate with chips and coleslaw

How to make Hunters Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)

close up overhead shot of hunters chicken in skillet garnished with chives

Hunters Chicken

Here I'll show you the easiest and most delicious to make the British pub classic Hunters Chicken!
5 from 6 votes
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Servings (click & slide): 4
Course: Dinner / Main Course
Cuisine: British
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Calories per serving: 798kcal
Cost per serving: £2.50 / $3

Equipment:

  • Large Cast Iron Skillet or Baking Dish
  • Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
  • Cheese Grater
  • Small Pot (for seasoning mix)

Ingredients (check list):

Hunters Chicken

  • 4 boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts (around 7oz/200g each)
  • 12 slices of Streaky Bacon
  • 1 cup / 240ml good quality BBQ Sauce (see notes)
  • 1 cup / 100g grated Cheese, or as needed to cover chicken (see notes)
  • finely diced Fresh Chives, to garnish (optional)

Chicken Seasoning (see notes)

  • 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper (can omit cayenne or alter to spice preference)

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
  • In a small pot combine chicken seasoning. Evenly sprinkle over each side of the chicken breasts (don't rub it in or it'll clump up).
  • Wrap each breast in 3 slices of bacon, then place into a large cast iron skillet or baking dish. I usually make sure the ends of the bacon are underneath the chicken, just so it doesn't unravel in the oven.
  • Bake for 25mins until the chicken is piping hot and white through the centre. Remove from the oven and switch the oven to grill.
  • Generously spoon BBQ sauce over each breast, then generously top with cheese. Place back under the grill until the cheese melts.
  • Serve up and enjoy!

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) BBQ Sauce - Try and grab a good quality sauce, just because it makes up a large part of the dish. Here I've used sweet baby ray's, which you can find in most stores.
b) Cheese - Classic option is cheddar, and that's what I usually go for, but in reality most melty cheeses will work. Mozzarella and Monterey Jack are great options.
c) Seasoning - It's not a deal breaker if you don't have smoked paprika, garlic powder and cayenne, but definitely season with salt and pepper.
d) Prep Ahead - I don't recommend making the whole thing and reheating, but you can season and wrap the chicken, then tightly store in the fridge. Preferably bring close to room temp before baking, just to take the chill out the centre.
e) Serving - I usually serve in 3 different scenarios:
f) Calories - Just for the chicken, no sides.

Your Private Notes:

Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts
Hunters Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 798 Calories from Fat 414
% Daily Value*
Fat 45.95g71%
Saturated Fat 6.643g33%
Trans Fat 0.347g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.37g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.828g
Cholesterol 175mg58%
Sodium 1519mg63%
Potassium 1268mg36%
Carbohydrates 30.78g10%
Fiber 0.9g4%
Sugar 24.56g27%
Protein 62.3g125%
Vitamin A 774IU15%
Vitamin C 0.4mg0%
Calcium 229mg23%
Iron 1.72mg10%
* 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.
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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

For more similar recipes check out these beauties:

Classic British Dinners


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Recipe Rating




14 Comments

  • Reply
    John Vocking
    July 16, 2023 at 2:51 pm

    5 stars
    This is a staple of t recipe stable now. Gets made at least once a month. I use cheese slices instead of grated cheese. Only issue is stopping the cheese just rolling off. Coleslaw, chips and peas make up a perfect dish. I’ve also gone off piste a thing strip of mozzarella cheese embedded in the middle of the chicken breasts.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      July 16, 2023 at 3:05 pm

      Thanks so much for the review, John! Love the idea of mozzarella in the middle! C.

  • Reply
    Gail Sousa
    May 18, 2023 at 4:59 pm

    5 stars
    I made Hunters Chicken last night, and it was so good. I didn’t have chicken breast on tenders but they still turned out fantastic. I did adjust my time in the oven. Served with garlic mashed potatoes and a green salad. My honey bunny loved it.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      May 18, 2023 at 6:34 pm

      So great to hear, Gail! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    Helen
    December 14, 2022 at 6:51 am

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it was amazing!!!! All the family loved it!!! The only thing I changed was the bacon. I used smoked back bacon which gave a lovely smoky taste as I’m not keen on streaky bacon. I also thought using back bacon would cut some of the calories out. I will be definitely trying more of your recipes

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      December 14, 2022 at 10:16 am

      So great to hear this went down well with the family! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    Val
    November 30, 2022 at 12:06 am

    5 stars
    Made this dish this evening the chicken was very moist and it was delicious! I realize the bacon will not crisp but felt that it was a bit undercooked >. I think next time I will broil the chicken for a few minutes prior to the BBQ sauce and cheese.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      November 30, 2022 at 11:05 am

      You could definitely broil the chicken to crisp up the bacon! Thanks for the review, Val. C.

  • Reply
    Jen P
    August 26, 2022 at 11:15 pm

    Do you bake it covered

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      August 27, 2022 at 10:42 am

      Nope, uncovered 🙂

  • Reply
    Sandi
    July 28, 2022 at 1:58 am

    5 stars
    Looks great! It’s basically pretty low carb so I’m tying to figure out why the carb count listed. Would it be from the BBQ sauce? If so, no problem because I use an amazing sugar free BBQ sauce.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      July 28, 2022 at 10:50 am

      Hey Sandi! Yes, the BBQ sauce will have a lot of sugar in it, so if you wanted it low carb I imagine the sugar free BBQ sauce will work just fine 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    giles
    April 8, 2022 at 1:21 pm

    5 stars
    Great pub classic, when are you doing a book mate?

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      April 9, 2022 at 10:53 am

      Ah you never know my friend, somewhere down the line maybe!

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