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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, 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!
If I were to add pasta to it would I need to make more sauce too?
If you want the pasta totally coated in the sauce with extra then yes, you may want to double it. There’s enough in the recipe as written to have a little sauce spooned over mashed potatoes, for example (if you serve 4 people).
It is an easy to make recipe. It came out delicious. I had to change the lemon for lime because i ran out of lemons and I added shredded parmesan cheese when the cream was bubbling so it can thicken the sauce more. Love the recipe. I will try adding mushrooms next time. Adding parsley on top makes it so delicious.Thank you
You’re welcome, Priscila! We’re so pleased you liked it.
Making for a group of 50
Could I put in oven to cook rest of way
After I brown the chicken.
Hi! I would be very careful doing this (do a test run first with a smaller quantity) to ensure it works out timing-wise and that the sauce thickens properly without separating and the chicken doesn’t dry out.
So yummy and easy!! I added a little flour to the sauce to thicken it quicker and served with mashed potatoes and veggies.
Fantastic to hear, Ellie! Thanks!
I love this recipe. Made it several times and enjoyed it every time. The sauce is so creamy.😋
That’s so nice to hear, Julie! Thanks!!
This was delicious, great flavor. Followed recipe as written, just added some portobello mushrooms after chicken was cooked. Great taste, easy instructions. Thank you! Definitely will make again, leftovers will be over rice.
So happy you enjoyed it, Theresa! 😀 Thanks for your kind review!
Made last night. Doubled the chicken with tenderloins added some onion power and peparika.Trippled the sauce. Added some Dijon mustard. Made early so put cooked chicken in a baking pan then.poured gravy over the top and out in a 225° oven till the onion chive mashed potatoes and broccoli were done and family arrived. Was AMAZINGl!! thank you. Even the kids loved it .. have pic but will not let me add it
Fabulous!! You can always tag me on Instagram and I will see it (and repost it on there if it’s in a story). Thanks for your comment, Nicole!
very tasty! I served it over rice. Noodles would be really good, too. Definitely making this again
Excellent!! 🙂
Really delicious! Instead of the cream, I used half cup oat milk and half cup coconut yogurt to make it dairy free. I also added nutritional yeast to help thicken the sauce a bit. Turned out great!
I’m so pleased you were able to make it dairy-free, Lyndsay! Thanks for your review.
I made this tonight. It was delicious! I too would add more liquids and maybe a little extra lemon. But fabulous!!
Glad you enjoyed it! Yup, you can definitely tweak it to your preferences next time. 🙂