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This bacon mushroom chicken recipe is loaded with tender melt-in-your mouth chicken, a creamy balsamic sauce, and fresh spinach. It’s the ultimate 30-minute comfort food meal!
You might also like my Creamy Garlic Chicken for another decadent dinner.
Why you’ll crave it
My Creamy Bacon Chicken recipe is well loved, so I was inspired to make something that’s similar but possibly even better. Like, totally over-the-top delicious with all the best flavors in a single dish. You can’t go wrong with bacon, mushrooms, spinach, and cream… so I decided to go for it. This is easy comfort food at its best.
I also love adding balsamic vinegar to recipes. It gives it an extra unexpected flavor boost, a special something-something that tastes amazing! It mellows out when cooked and becomes a touch sweet with that signature hint of balsamic flavor in the creamy sauce. SO good. All in all, this is one easy chicken recipe that is sure to impress guests but is equally simple to make after work for your family.
What you’ll need
- Bacon – everything is better with bacon. I like to use kitchen shears to cut it into small pieces.
- Chicken – we’re using two boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 4 thinner cutlets that cook nice and quick
- Garlic powder and pepper – to infuse savory flavor directly onto the cutlets
- Flour – it helps the chicken to get that delicious golden crust when pan seared
- Olive oil – for pan frying
- Mushrooms – we’re sautéing cremini aka baby bella mushrooms
- Chicken broth – it adds depth of flavor for the base of the sauce
- Balsamic vinegar – our signature ingredient to make the sauce next level tasty! Don’t worry, it doesn’t make it sour.
- Heavy cream – for that luxurious quality
- Spinach – a pop of freshness to tie it all together
How to make creamy bacon mushroom chicken
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Cut up the bacon, fry until crispy, and set aside. Leave some of the bacon fat in the skillet. Slice the chicken in half lengthwise, and season the 4 cutlets with pepper and garlic powder. Dredge in flour.
- Cook the chicken until golden, and set aside. Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil until the water has cooked off and they’re nicely seared. Set them aside.
- Stir in the chicken broth and balsamic vinegar, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let it bubble until reduced by half. Add the cream, and return the chicken, bacon, and mushrooms to the pan. Let it thicken, add in the spinach until wilted, and enjoy!
Substitutions and variations
- Substituting the heavy cream for anything with a lower fat content isn’t a good idea because the sauce may curdle, and it just won’t be as thick or delicious. I use heavy cream for a reason. Yes, this is for sure a treat meal!
- If you can’t find cremini mushrooms, white button will do in a pinch.
- You can use chicken thighs instead if you prefer. They’re more forgiving when it comes to overcooking.
Tools for this recipe
- To make this and other recipes hassle-free, I love using a splatter guard for less clean-up.
- These cooking tongs are a fantastic tool for any home cook. I use them to easily turn the chicken.
- I always use an instant read thermometer to take the guesswork out of knowing when it’s done. Chicken is safe to eat at 165F.
- This is the Le Creuset skillet I used for this recipe.
What to serve with bacon mushroom chicken
- The irresistible cream sauce is so good with a mountain of Garlic Mashed Potatoes or over a bed of rice.
- For a veggie side, I like something really simple to complement it like these Easy Green Beans or Maple Roasted Carrots.
- A side salad is another option. Use your fave mixed greens with my homemade Copycat Olive Garden Italian Dressing for an unforgettable meal!
Leftovers and storage
- You can store leftovers of this creamy balsamic chicken in the fridge for 3-4 days, but it’s best enjoyed fresh.
- Reheat in a saucepan slowly over a low heat until warmed through so that the sauce doesn’t separate.
- I generally don’t recommend freezing anything with a cream-based sauce. The texture is liable to change.
More chicken recipes to discover
Questions, or did you make this simple skillet chicken recipe? Let me know in the comments below and tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram. I love seeing your creations!
Creamy Balsamic Spinach Bacon Mushroom Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon cut into small pieces
- 2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pepper to taste
- Flour for dredging
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into small pieces (I do this with kitchen shears). Fry it over medium-high heat in a deep skillet until crispy. Take it out of the pan and set it aside on a plate. Leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have 4 thinner pieces. Sprinkle them with the garlic powder and pepper and coat them in flour on all sides.
- Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes/side until golden and take it out of the pan (ok to put it on the same plate as the bacon).
- The pan will likely be quite dry, so add a splash of olive oil (about a tablespoon) prior to adding the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until the water has cooked out and they get a nice sear (about 6-8 minutes). You may need to turn down the heat a bit if the pan becomes too hot/smoking.
- Take the mushrooms out of the pan (adding them to the same plate as the chicken and bacon is fine).
- Stir in the chicken broth and balsamic vinegar, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble until the liquid reduces by half (about 2 minutes or so).
- Stir in the cream, and then add the chicken, bacon, and mushrooms back to the pan. Cook it for 5 minutes or so until the sauce thickens and the chicken cooks through.
- Stir in the spinach (I lift the chicken up with tongs and tuck it underneath to make it easy!) and cook for another minute or two until it's wilted. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I don’t recommend subbing the heavy cream for half-and-half or milk as the sauce may curdle and it won’t be as thick.
- I find the sauce salty enough with the bacon and chicken broth, but feel free to season the chicken with some salt as well if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Absolutely delicious!
Thank you, Susan! 😀
Could you substitute the Heavy whipping cream with Full Fat Coconut Milk due to dairy sensitivity?
Hi! It won’t be the same, and I can’t say the taste will be as good since it’ll be a bit coconutty, but I know readers have subbed it in various recipes and it’s worked out, so let me know if you do try. 🙂 I also heard Silk brand makes a dairy-free whipping cream… you may want to try that if you can find it locally.
Absolutely, positively, out of this world!!! It should be on a menu in a Michelin star restaurant!
Aww thank you! You’re too kind. 🙂
I made this recipe and it turned out AMAZING! I made it with extra chicken (i also cut into thinner slices) and I added peppers along with the mushrooms. I did add a little bit more chicken juice and I used coconut milk instead of cream and I added a little bit more than one cup as well since I had more chicken. I will Be making this again.
Wonderful!! 🙂
I so want to make this recipe for guests this weekend but would prefer to make it ahead of time. I have this thing about not wanting to “cook” in front of the guests. What would you think if I prepped all the ingredients (mushrooms, bacon, chicken, etc), made a larger amount of the sauce and then put it all together in a casserole dish in the oven? Have you ever tried that?
Hi! I think that could possibly work, yes… but I would probably add the spinach in when you’re close to serving. And be careful not to overcook the chicken in the oven. I’d basically just let it warm through. Or maybe use chicken thighs instead if you’re going this route, since they’re less likely to dry out.
Made this yesterday for family-they all loved it, even the 4 yr old! I followed your suggestions: made it on the stovetop, just increased ingredients for the sauce. When guests arrived put it in a 200 degree for about 15 minutes. Sauce thickened perfectly. Thanks for your feedback. Will definitely make again!
That’s awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for reporting back!
This was a hit in my house! Absolutely delicious. I drizzled some balsamic vinegar over my piece just before eating which put it over the top. Thank you! Looking forward to a Salt & Lavender cookbook. 🙂
Great!! I’m so happy you enjoyed this dish, Nina. Cookbook – no immediate plans, but never say never. 😉
This was amazing. My husband loves mushrooms and this was a perfect blend of tastes. The sauce was creamy and coated the chicken just enough to add to juicy chicken. I only have lean bacon, so I added 1Tbsp and a half to thicken what was left of the bacon fat. Fabulous and he just said, “that recipe is a keeper! “
That’s awesome!! So happy you both enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting, Caryn!
This dish is so savory and delicious! You will need some crusty bread to clean your plate and make sure you get every last bite of the cream sauce. This will definitely become a regular dish in my weekly meal planning. My husband said it was the perfect fall/winter dinner. I didn’t have cremini mushrooms but used organic baby bellas which seemed to work well. Can’t wait to make it again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
when you say a cupful, how many mills approx is that Natasha, want to make this today, looks yummy
many thanks
Approx 250 🙂 I believe technically is 237 ml, but 250 is fine.
I only have apple cider vinegar. Would that work?
I am not sure that it would. Balsamic vinegar mellows out when cooked and adds a unique flavor. I’d probably just leave out the vinegar if not using balsamic.