Chicken, bacon, and a creamy sauce, we can’t think of a better combination! This creamy chicken bacon recipe creates an indulgent dish of tender chicken and crispy bacon, all submerged in a decadent cream sauce.
Every bite melts with simple yet gorgeous flavors, complemented by a wonderful contrast in textures. Everything comes together in one pan in less than an hour, giving you a dreamy treat to quickly whip up for casual dinners as well as fancy feasts.
Is Creamy Chicken Bacon Healthy?
Based on the name alone, you may be inclined to think this creamy chicken bacon is unhealthy. However, with this recipe, we have carefully moderated the ingredients to follow nutrition standards, making it perfectly appropriate to indulge in. Each serving offers 490 calories while the saturated fat and sodium amounts are limited to just 8 g and 494 mg, respectively.
You can also obtain a good deal of lean protein—42 g to be exact—from this dish. This comes primarily from the chicken, which also offers various other nutrients like vitamins B6 and B12, heme iron, zinc, selenium, potassium, collagen, etc.
On the side, we included some mashed potatoes and green beans. They’re both incredible sources of fiber, which can provide potential health benefits such as supporting the digestive system, decreasing the risk of heart disease, and aiding in weight management.
Ingredients for Creamy Chicken Bacon
As lavish as this dish looks, it doesn’t require much to put together. There’s a good chance that you already have most of the following ingredients readily available in your pantry:
- Chicken: We used boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. The cut is butterflied, which helps it to absorb the sauce more thoroughly as well as cook faster and more evenly.
- Bacon: The tiny pieces of smoky and savory bacon stand out quite spectacularly when smothered in the creamy sauce. Cooked until crispy, they also offer a delightful texture contrast to the tender chicken and soft mashed potatoes.
- Dairy Products: Evident from the name, the dish’s base is a luscious and creamy sauce that coats the tender chicken with an addictive sweetness. You’ll be pleased to find out that it doesn’t require anything complicated, just a small amount of heavy cream, a cup of milk, and a small sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
- Spices: Since the sauce and the breasts are both relatively tame in taste, we seasoned the chicken with robust spices like paprika and garlic powder to kick things up a notch. As usual, salt and pepper are in there to bring out all the ingredients’ natural flavors.
- Vegetables: As mentioned above, this dish comes with a side of mashed potatoes and cooked green beans. It’s a simple but foolproof combination, offering subtle earthy and sweet flavors while also giving every bite a voluminous mouthfeel.
Substitutions
The main ingredients in this recipe are adjustable, so here are a few substitutions you can make:
- Chicken: Aside from breasts, chicken thighs will also work for this recipe. This cut yields more flavor than breasts, although it might slightly raise the sodium level of the dish.
- Dairy Products: Even though this is a cream-based recipe, there are dairy-free alternatives you can use if you’re lactose-intolerant. The heavy cream can be replaced with plant cream while chicken broth or almond milk will work in place of the milk.
These substitutions, however, might result in the dish tasting different from the original recipe. The sauce might end up having a different texture, richness, and flavor intensity, depending on the specific ingredients you use.
How to Store the Leftovers
When kept in airtight containers in the fridge, the leftovers should last for 2 days. To reheat, simply place the dish in the microwave for 1 minute. Note that the sauce might thicken a little and the meat may become drier than when it was first made.
What to Serve With Creamy Chicken Bacon
This dish is already quite rich and filling, so we recommend keeping it light with the side dishes. A fresh salad is more than enough for a scrumptious and satisfying meal. Here are a few suggestions:
- Radicchio Salad Recipe
- Salad Mix Recipe
- Cauliflower Salad Recipe
- Romaine Salad Recipe
- Spring Salad Recipe
Creamy Chicken Bacon Recipe
This creamy chicken bacon recipe creates an indulgent dish of tender chicken and crispy bacon, all submerged in a decadent cream sauce. Everything comes together in one pan in less than an hour, giving you a dreamy treat to quickly whip up on casual dinners as well as fancy feasts.
- cook TIME 33 mins
- prep TIME 7 mins
- total TIME 40 mins
- COURSE Main
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 490 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 20 ozskinless boneless chicken breasts
- 20 ozpotato (sliced into cubes)
- 4 ozgreen bean (ends removed)
- 1 tbspgarlic (minced)
- 2 tbspparsley (chopped)
- 3 ozraw cured bacon (cut into small squares)
- 2 tbspheavy cream
- 1 cupmilk
- 0.8 ozshredded parmesan cheese
- 0.3 tspsalt
- 0.5 tspground black pepper
- 0.5 tspgarlic powder
- 0.5 tsppaprika
- 1 tbspolive oil
- 0.5 tbspall-purpose flour
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Slice the Potatoes: Peel off the skin then slice the potatoes in half crosswise, then slice the half lengthwise into large cubes. Soak them in water to remove excess starch.
Mince the Garlic: Bash the garlic with the side of the knife to remove the skin then thinly slice each clove. Move the knife in a rocking motion back and forth over the sliced pile until finely minced.
Chop the Parsley: Bunch the leaves together and thinly slice. Then, rock the knife over the sliced leaves a few times until they are finely chopped
Butterfly the Chicken: Slice the breast in half from the side using a sawing motion but leave about 1/4 inch so the separated sides are still connected.
Cook:
Microwave the Green Beans: In a microwave-safe bowl, add 4 oz green beans, and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 4 minutes then quickly run over cold water.
Microwave the Potatoes: In a microwave-safe bowl, add 20 oz potatoes and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 12 minutes then mash into a creamy consistency.
Season the Chicken: Dry rub 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp paprika over 20 oz skinless boneless chicken breasts. Make sure to evenly coat all the surfaces and insides.
Cook the Bacon: In a pan over small heat, add 3 oz raw cured bacon and sauté for 2 minutes until the meat turns crispy with a vibrant red-brown shade.
Cook the Chicken: Transfer the bacon onto a plate then turn the heat up to medium, add the seasoned chicken breasts and 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan; sear for 7 minutes on both sides until the meat turns white with a browned exterior.
Add the Garlic: Add 1 tbsp garlic to the pan and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Make the Sauce: Add 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour to the pan and stir around for 30 seconds. Then add half of the cooked bacon, 2 tbsp heavy cream, 1 cup milk, 0.75 oz shredded parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Lightly stir to mix everything together and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.
Add the Bacon and Parsley: Sprinkle the remaining bacon and 2 tbsp parsley onto the cooked mixture.
Serve: Transfer the cooked chicken, bacon, and sauce onto serving plates along with the mashed potatoes and green beans. Serve hot.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author