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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!
Hi! This sounds delicious I want to try it but I didn’t see measurements for this recipe…do you have the measurements you use??
Scroll down to the recipe card. 😊 You would’ve gone past it to post a comment.
I have used at least 7 of your recipes at my parents house since quarantine has started and every recipe is better than the last! I can not thank you enough for the time you put into this site!!! I was just wondering for this recipe do you think adding baby spinach or arugula to the sauce at the end (just until the greens are wilted) would be a good addition. I have some left over in the fridge that I have to use lol.
I’m so happy to hear that, Katie! 🙂 Yes, I think adding spinach or arugula just until it’s wilted would work great!
I made this tonight to bring to a friends dinner and it was delicious. The only thing is that the recipe says at the end to cook the chicken 5 minutes or so until the chicken is fully cooked. We had to cook it in the sauce for a good 35 to 40 minutes!! I was afraid that the chicken would be overcooked and that it would become too hard, but in the end it came out great and our friends loved it too!
Hi! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Did you cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise? It definitely should not take 30-35 minutes. How was there any sauce left after that much cooking time? The chicken should be close to cooked after that browning step, and that 5(ish) minutes is simply finishing it off. Did you use an instant read thermometer at any point?
This creamy bacon chicken was so easy and tasty! I used 4 chicken breasts, sliced in half therefore doubled the sauce recipe. My family loved it! I didn’t dredge the chicken in flour, added a bit of Cajun seasoning to the chicken breasts. I deglazed the pan with white wine and added a splash of sherry to the creamy sauce.
Yay! So glad you liked it.
In the mood for a Bacon Recipe…saw the picture and knew this is the one! Took out chicken from freezer. Your recipe was so easy to put together. The chicken was not as colorful/golden as yours, but that didn’t matter. I love the flavor of the sauce. I added extra heavy cream only because I wanted to smother the chicken in it (personal preference). I chose a small salad and green beans for the side (my son’s preference). 2 Thumbs up!! I will make this again & again when in the mood for Creamed Chicken & Bacon!
Wonderful! I’m so glad that it tasted good! 🙂
Between the pop up ads and the length of time it took to actually scroll down to the recipe I hope it’s all worth it. We’ll find out tonight.
Is it necessary to be snarky? I work very hard to provide people with FREE recipes (this is how I earn my living). I don’t think scrolling for a few seconds (if you don’t want to read the post) is that hard. As you can see, this recipe has many good reviews. I hope you enjoy it.
I don’t have heavy whipped cream, what can you substitute for it?
Hi… it’s not whipped cream, it’s whipping cream or heavy cream (lol just making sure since you really don’t want to use whipped cream). I don’t recommend making subs because it won’t turn out the same, and you’ll probably have to do something else to thicken the sauce… but if you have half-and-half on hand that is probably the best substitution, but the sauce still won’t thicken up the same. There’s plenty of comments on here though from people who have made substitutions, so you might want to check those out if you feel like experimenting.
I used milk I just made a roux to thicken it
I added crispy fried garlic, chard, tomatoes, onions, fresh basil, and parmesan cheese. It was amazing.
Yum!!
Best dish I have made in a while! We have cut all sugar and white flour for over a year. Difficult to find recipes sometimes to give a comfort food feeling. This one does! All I did was change to 100 % whole wheat flour mixed with a little corn starch to keep it from being heavy when fried and used bacon with no sugar/dextrose. Served with veggies and some brown rice. We cannot wait to eat our leftovers tomorrow!
I’m so happy that you were able to adapt it to your diet, Lynn!! 🙂
It was delicious. The whole family loved it!
Awesome!! Thanks for commenting, Melissa!