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This creamy bacon chicken recipe is a decadent and delicious dinner that’s easy enough for a weeknight and tasty enough for company. It’s ready in about 30 minutes!
You may also like my Creamy Bacon Pork Chops or Creamy Bacon and Mushroom Pasta next.
Why you’ll love it
I probably don’t have to convince you too much, but chicken with bacon and cream is a great combo! The chicken is pan-fried until golden brown on the outside. When you take a bite, it melts in your mouth. And the bacon… well, it makes everything even better.
My vegetarian sister actually came up with the idea for this creamy chicken recipe, and you’ll be glad she did. It’s simple comfort food with few ingredients, and the technique is really easy. The creamy bacon sauce is so good that family and friends will lick their plates clean!
What you’ll need
- Bacon – the star of the sauce! We’re also browning the chicken in bacon grease to make it extra delicious.
- Chicken – we’re using two chicken breasts cut lengthwise into four thinner cutlets. They stay more tender and cook faster this way.
- Flour – for dredging and getting that gorgeous golden crust
- Garlic powder and pepper – seasoning the cutlets directly infuses lots of savory flavor
- Chicken broth – the base of the sauce
- Lemon juice – a touch of brightness to balance out the sauce and make it less one-dimensional
- Butter and heavy cream – this duo makes the sauce luxurious and buttery
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- An instant read thermometer is the best way to ensure chicken isn’t overcooked or undercooked. You want that perfect 165F.
- I like this butter dish to store my butter in since it has handy markings for measuring where to cut.
- This Le Creuset skillet is the one I use.
How to make creamy bacon chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut up the bacon, and fry until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, leaving behind some of the fat. Meanwhile, cut the chicken in half, then season with garlic powder and pepper. Dredge in flour. Brown the chicken, then transfer to a plate.
Add the broth, lemon, and butter to the skillet. Let it reduce by half. Stir in the cream. Once bubbling, return the chicken and bacon, and simmer until it’s cooked through and the sauce has thickened up as desired. Garnish with fresh parsley if you like.
Pro Tip
Depending on how deep of a sear you get on the chicken, the sauce may be lighter or darker in color. That’s totally fine!
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the heavy cream for something with a lower fat content because the taste, richness, and texture just can’t be matched, and it’s also less likely to curdle. Half-and-half will yield a watery sauce, and coconut milk will alter the flavor.
- You could try chicken thighs, but you will have to adjust the cooking time as needed. They may take a little longer.
- Throw in a handful of spinach near the end of the cooking time for a pop of freshness!
What to serve with bacon chicken
- Complement this chicken with some vegetables to balance the creaminess. Try my Easy Roasted Green Beans or Easy Roasted Cauliflower.
- The sauce is scrumptious over a pile of Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Roasted Red Potatoes. Pasta works too, as does rice.
- Craving a salad with it? My Homemade Italian Dressing is the perfect pairing.
Leftovers and storage
- If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Reheat over a low heat (slowly) in a saucepan until warmed through.
- I don’t recommend freezing creamy chicken recipes.
More easy chicken recipes
If you made this chicken with a bacon cream sauce, please leave a star rating and review below! You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Creamy Bacon Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon
- 2 large chicken breasts
- Flour for dredging
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
Instructions
- Cut the bacon up and add it to a skillet (I use kitchen shears to make this job quick). Fry it over medium-high heat until crispy (about 10 mins). Once the bacon is done, take it out of the pan and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan.
- Meanwhile, prep your chicken (cut it in half lengthwise so you have 4 smaller cutlets). Sprinkle them with the garlic powder and pepper and then coat them in the flour.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and cook it in the remaining bacon fat over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes/side or until it's golden. If it starts to splatter a lot, reduce the heat. Once the chicken is browned, take it out of the pan and set it aside.
- Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and butter to the pan. Let it bubble until it's reduced by half (about 3-4 minutes).
- Stir in the cream and once it starts to bubble, add the chicken and bacon back into the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until the chicken is fully cooked through and the sauce has reduced to your liking.
Notes
- The 5 minutes of prep time is to cut up the bacon, and I count the rest of the prep time within cook time as it’s done while the bacon is cooking.
- I suggest using fairly large boneless/skinless chicken breasts for this recipe since we’re cutting them in half lengthwise. If you have smaller chicken breasts, use 4 of them and leave them intact.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on July 31, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Loved this recipe! I used my Ninja Foodi to cook the chicken and it turned out wonderful (I added the flour to the sauce instead to thicken). My family truly enjoyed this meal….will make again 😋
Excellent! Thanks for letting me know 😀
I have made this recipe numerous times. I always double it (large family). It has become a favorite amongst my tribe. My daughter took the rare leftovers to work with her once and shared it with a couple of friends. It’s a favorite of theirs now too. So glad I stumbled upon this recipe …it is ithe perfect comfort food.
I’m so happy to hear that, Barbara! Thanks for your sweet comment. 🙂
Made this today and it was delicious! The entire family loved it.
Wonderful!
Tasty recipe! The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five was really because I was confused on one part, so I guessed, and I believe my guess was wrong… Are we supposed to remove the excess bacon fat after taking the chicken out and putting the sauce ingredients in? The recipe didn’t specify, but I assumed that since it just said to remove the chicken, that I was supposed to leave the bacon fat in. However, the end result was super greasy! When I put the leftovers away, I tried to avoid most of the excess fat that had separated from the sauce, and it left about 1/4-1/3 cup of grease! Plus the grease that was left on our plates after eating! Maybe it was because our bacon was extra fatty? I would really appreciate knowing if the bacon fat is supposed to be left in the pan, and if so, about how much should be left (so I know how much to take out if needed). Other than that, great recipe! Next time, I might try what others have suggested about putting other ingredients in, such as onion and spinach. We’ll see. Thanks! Oh, I did make one minor substitution… I realized in the middle of the recipe that we were out of lemon juice! So I went out on a limb and tried adding Sprite. It didn’t pack the same punch as lemon juice did, but it was okay. Lol.
Hi Britney! Thanks for the feedback! Yes, I did intend the bacon fat to be left in the pan throughout – when I make it, there is nothing really left to drain after frying the chicken in it, but I am thinking when I wrote the recipe that I did not account for super fatty bacon. I would say that no more than about 2 tablespoons or so should be left in there, so I can always update the recipe with that. In any case, I’m glad that you still enjoyed the recipe. Haha the Sprite is creative.
Made this recipe for date night. I can sum it up with one word. DELICIOUS! I surprised myself since I’m not one to really cook. Made a couple substitutions because we’re not able to go out to the store like usual. Used a little more than 6 pieces of bacon, because you can’t go wrong with more bacon! Didn’t have chicken broth, so instead used 1 cup of hot water and mixed in a teaspoon of chicken bouillon. Sprinkled some flour in the sauce to make it creamier and it all paid off!
Thanks for the recipe! For sure will be making it again.
I’m so happy it was a hit, Ryan! Agree on the more bacon part hahaha.
Ryan, I always use water with bouillon dissolved in place of chicken broth for recipes. It serves the same purpose and I’ve never had a recipe fail me this way 😀
This was amazing!
Yay!!
Oh my goodness. This was one of the best chicken recipes I’ve had. Everyone in my family loved it. I served it with a side of asparagus and a chopped salad. I used garlic salt instead of powder. This will definitely be in our dinner rotation.
Yay so happy to hear that! Thank you!
My family LOVES this recipe. My own personal twist is to add mushroom slices. So good!
Yay I am so glad to hear that! Love the addition of mushrooms.
I was really excited for this recipe after reading the reviews. However, I was shocked when I tasted it and thought it lacked flavor. Anyone else have this issue?
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t like it ☹️
Loved this! So easy and a great change of pace. The only change I made from the original recipe was, since I didn’t have heavy cream, I used whole milk along with a little dab of sour cream. Serve it with steamed asparagus and mashed potatoes – perfection!
So pleased you enjoyed it!!
Going to be making this tonight for dinner I’m super excited to try this new recipe. I’ll be pairing it with pasta or just a regular side dish.
I hope you enjoy it! 🙂