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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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We ‘veganised’ this with what we had at home so we used La Vie ‘bacon lardons’, The Vegetarian butcher ‘what the cluck’ pieces, (although this could easily just use smoked paprika and chickpeas or jackfruit instead of meat subs), chestnut mushrooms and we used a combo of dairy-free Elmlea and vegan cream cheese and OXO vegan chicken stock..We also added some canellini beans and served with flatbreads 😊
I love that! Glad it worked out!
This is a delicious recipe. We served it to 24 at a church function last spring. We are serving it to 60 for a 12th Night Dinner Party this Friday, January 5, 2024. It will take us a lot longer than 10 minutes to prep for this many people. We plan to make it in two large batches! Serving it over a blend of quinoa and wild rice, the 90 seconds in the microwave per bag variety. A side salad and yet to be determined dessert will complete our meal.
Thank you Natasha!
You are very welcome, Carolyn! 😀 I am so glad it’s a hit and works to feed a crowd!
Rich, flavorful and delicious! Lots of great flavors complementing each other in this dish. The balsamic doesn’t overpower anything and in fact it really simply deepens the sauce. I’d recommend enjoying this with something more neutral, like mashed potatoes.
Thank you!
This recipe was so good. It really does your soul good to eat something so delicious. My husband loved it too.
I’m thrilled to hear that, Maureen! Thank you!