This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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, and this airtight container is ideal for storing bacon.
- This Le Creuset skillet is the one I use, and this Lodge skillet is a budget-friendly alternative.
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. My Stick of Butter Rice is a fun way to change it up.
- 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!
Made this for dinner last night – amazing and easy! Followed directions and my dish looked just like your photo – and that hardly ever happens. This is a keeper recipe and will be making it again. Thank you!
You’re very welcome! ♥️
SO good!
It is my youngest son’s favorite chicken recipe and always a hit with guests.
I make some extra gravy just because we love gravy.
Okay… don’t count calories, just enjoy. This is worth all the calories in it!
Thanks for your kind comment! Very glad to hear it’s a hit in your home! 🙂 Agreed… sometimes the calories are totally worth it!
Sauce was great, chicken tasteless. I thought cooking chicken in the bacon grease would give it an amazing flavor. It did not. I made mashed potatoes and Stove Top. After reading some of the comments on sauce scarcity, I doubled it using half and half, adding flour to thicken. Consistency was perfect. Had enough to literally pour over the potatoes and dressing and the flavor of the sauce was amazing. I will make again but I will keep the bacon with the chicken while it summers in the hopes of flavoring it up.
Hi Cindy! Maybe next time you could try adding a bit of salt to the chicken itself? I skip that in this recipe because bacon can be pretty salty, so I don’t want to overdo it. In any case, glad that you loved the sauce!
Recipe calls for 6 slices of bacon but the package had 8 slices….So what’s a guy to do? Use 8 slices! I used half and half instead of heavy cream. I used a little extra butter to account for the half and half. It was delicious! Even my picky daughter liked it. I think I could actually feel my arteries clogging as I ate it, but mmmmm, it was so worth it!
Hahaha that’s great! Your comment made me laugh. 😀
Thanks for the half and half tip. That’s what I’m going to use because I have it (saves a trip to the store) and a few less calories to boot! Making this for Christmas since it’s just my son and me. Perfect!!
Hope you enjoy it, Cindy! Merry Christmas!
Honestly this recipe is AMAZING! The first time I made it I made a couple of mistakes but it was still good, the second time I made it my partner LOVED it and couldn’t stop commenting how this is his favorite meal I’ve made thus far. I sent pictures to friends because I was so proud of the golden color I was able to get, everyone commented how delicious it looked 🙂
Thank you so much I love this and I will be making other recipes!
Aww so happy to hear it!! 🙂 That’s awesome!
I made this last night and it came out so delicious. I had to cook the chicken a little longer at the end which unfortunately left me with no cream sauce. The chicken was cooked perfectly. I will definitely make this again.
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I followed the recipe EXACTLY and my sauce separated quite quickly… added more cream but still…. not right…. are you suppose to remove the bacon grease at all? It seems like a creamy greasy mess.
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. I did leave the bacon fat in the pan… is it possible you used a thicker cut of bacon that gave off way more fat? Or maybe it cooked on too high of a temperature? I’ve never had this sauce separate on me like that. 🙁
I made this last night and it was delicious. I wanted more sauce but it was perfect. I will definitely be making this again.
So glad you liked it!!
So I was following it to recipe then messed up and added 16oz if heavy cream not 8🤦🏼♀️
Oh no! Well.. did it still taste good at least? Haha
I made this tonight and we loved it. I followed all directions. I sliced the chicken and pounded them to thin fillets so they cooked very fast and added a splash of white wine. I didn’t get the amount of sauce as it looks like in the picture. Next time I will increase the sauce ingredients. Delicious.
Hi Barbara! So glad you liked it! Maybe your skillet is larger so it seemed like less sauce? I guess photos can always be a bit deceptive haha.
As always – this recipe did not disappoint! My husband and I loved it, and poured some of the extra sauce over potatoes. We also put a little bit of fresh parmesan on top (because we cannot have enough dairy). Thanks for sharing!
That’s so good to hear!! 😀