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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!
Is this plenty salty or should i add some salt? Want to make it tonight!
Hi Lani! The bacon is quite salty, but I always recommend to taste and season as you go along. That’s what I always do. It’s so subjective, so that’s why I rarely list salt or pepper quantities. Taste the sauce before serving and add a little salt if you think it’s lacking something. 🙂
AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!
I added a touch of paprika and the family loved it! Will make this again for sure!
Awesome!! 🙂
I just made it tonight. My husband loved it! Very tasty and easy to make. Do you have the breakdown of fats, carbs etc?
I’m so happy to hear that! At this point, I don’t for this recipe. It is for sure more of a treat meal, and to some people the number is more than just a number… so I don’t want to deter people from making/enjoying it.
Accidently stumbled across this blog and recipe a couple days ago and decided i had to try it out. First of all, thank you for making the directions easy to understand. Appreciate that greatly. Second…. I LOVE how it was ready in about 30 min. I am a working mom with 3 kids at home and love recipes that i can throw together quickly. 3rd. AMAZING! i cant believe how good this is. I decided to add pepper and seasoning salt to the flour and garlic dredge. I also doubled the sauce because we like it saucy 😁. CROWD PLEASER FOR SURE!
Lastly, i have been going through your other recipes and CAN NOT wait to try more! Keep em coming!
I am so happy you found me!! That’s great about the directions being easy to follow, because I spend SO MUCH time on that, and that’s my ultimate goal haha. Thanks for taking the time to comment… let me know if you end up making anything else. XO
I made this for dinner tonight. I made slight tweaks because I have to use almond milk but it was delicious!
I’m glad you were able to adapt it!
This is mr go to chicken recipe. So tasty!
8 serve with smashed potatoes and steamed greens.
Awesome!! So glad you like it!
Hi Natasha,
I don’t like white meat, so I was wondering if I could use thighs instead.
Hi! Sure. That will work just fine. I’m pretty sure others have tried it (you can browse thru the comments if you want). Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Wow! My wife found this today and asked me to make it. I doubled the recipe to feed our growing boys and left off the flour to keep it keto. Turned out just like the pictures and was amazing! Served it with sautéed zucchini (in the bacon drippings) and corn on the cob. Great meal, thank you.
I’m so happy you all enjoyed it! 🙂 Love the zucchini idea!
Love it❤️ I prepared as stated above all while following my Cajun style recipe as well combined the two together and magic 😍 my husband and I Critiqued it and I believe I know what tweaks needs to be made before it’s perfect 👌🏾 but other then that it was 🔥🔥😂 Loved it!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Cajun style sounds delish!
Could you use beef broth instead of chicken? Hiw much of a difftwould it make?
You could. I’d say the sauce will taste a little richer, and it’ll also look darker. I imagine it’ll taste fine, though. Let me know!
It turned out great! Such a good recipe!
Great!!
Loved this recipe! I even forgot to dredge the chicken in the flour and it still came out great. We had it over thin spaghetti. I added red pepper flakes to my own portion. I want to try it with Cajun seasoning next time. I made it tonight with shrimp instead of chicken and it was just as delicious! We ate it with penne noodles with the shrimp.
I’m so glad it worked out!! Yes, I think Cajun seasoning would be a great addition!