This bacon wrapped chicken has wonderful flavors of smoky sweet and spice. Chicken breast lightly seasoned with brown sugar spice mix, wrapped in fatty bacon, dusted with more brown sugar mix and baked until caramelized on the outer, moist inside.
It’s ridiculously easy to make and incredibly delicious chicken dish.
Why Should You Try Baked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe?
- It may look like a meal that requires lots of effort to make, but in honesty with very little effort you have a meal that is ridiculously delicious!
- A perfect meal to wow your guests or family for dinner. Doesn’t it look fancy! Even my picky eater kids loved it.
- We love all things wrapped in bacon! It transforms humble piece of chicken into something extra-ordinary. Similar to our favorite bacon wrapped shrimp which is always a hit with family and friends.
- The spice mix is well balanced to my taste. It won’t make chicken too sweet or too spicy. But will give it a wonderful smoky, sweet and a bit of kick flavor taste to it.
- This recipe makes a chicken that has balanced flavors of sweet and spice making your taste buds explode. It’s not all sweet with brown sugar. But hey, if you are a fan of all sweet chicken feel free to customize the recipe to YOUR taste.
- Bacon makes everything better! Crispy salty bacon keeps the chicken juicy and very delicious.
- Bacon loves brown sugar. Sweet crispy bacon and the saucy bite will transport you to food heaven.
- Bacon wrapped chicken is baked to caramelized perfection! Caramelized chicken are hard to resist, don’t you agree?
- Humble chicken dressed up sweet and crispy fatty bacon. A meal that you’ll look forward to. It goes great with potatoes (any form) and your favorite veggies on the side.
- Easy to customize and great for meal preps.
- Do all prep work ahead, leave chicken to rest in refrigerator, and when ready to serve, bake and serve.
- Dinner is ready in 30 minutes. Perfect for busy days when you are pressed for time.
- You’ll need basic pantry ingredients. Nothing fancy needed.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you need –
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, I used garlic granules, can use fresh minced garlic too
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or use chili flakes or substitute with more smoked paprika)
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
- 4 chicken breast (or use thin chicken tender cuts or large chicken thighs)
- 8 strips bacon, thick 1/8 inch strips are best, regular ones can be used too
- ¼ cup brown sugar (feel free to adjust quantity as per YOUR taste preference)
- Fresh parsley
Chicken Breast – Chicken breast is what I have used. It works with any chicken cut, chicken tenders even chicken thighs.
Bacon – to make wrapping neat and easy, use thick cut (1/8 inch thick strips) streaky/fatty bacon. Depending on the size of chicken breast, number of bacon used will vary. Use 2 to 4 bacons for each breast. If you can’t find thick bacon use regular bacon.
Brown Sugar – I used ¼ cup for 4 medium sized chicken breasts. Feel free to reduce to amount if you want like it less sweet or increase it as per YOUR taste.
You can substitute brown sugar with maple syrup or honey.
Garlic – I used garlic granules. Fine garlic powder or fresh minced garlic can be used instead.
Spices – (optional) – I like a balanced flavors in my chicken. Not really a fan of sweet chicken so I added spices to balance out the sweetness. Like mentioned before, feel free to leave out any of the spices or include your own favorite spice to the recipe. The spices I used are :
- Smoked Paprika
- Cayenne Pepper
- Onion powder
Seasoning – don’t forget to season the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper as per your taste.
Fresh Parsley – for garnish. You can use other herbs or greens for garnish. Fresh cilantro, chives, green onions.
Additions & Substitutions
While bacon is mandatory, if for any reason you don’t eat bacon or ran out of stock for bacon, do consider using ham instead of bacon. You might not end up with same tasting dish, but it does work.
Other alternative is to use turkey bacon. A great alternative for lean eating.
Replace cayenne pepper with chili pepper flakes.
Replace chicken breast with chicken thighs, chicken tender cuts or even with bone-in chicken pieces like chicken wings (drummettes and flats). Note bone-in chicken will need longer time to bake and are trickier to eat.
How To Make Bacon Wrapped Chicken?
- In a small bowl mix all ingredients for the rub – brown sugar, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder (or granules), onion powder, freshly ground pepper and salt.
- Use half the brown sugar spice mix and sprinkle on both sides of chicken breasts. Rub to spread it evenly all over on both sides.
- Wrap bacon around chicken breast. Depending on the size of chicken breast and length of the bacon you’ll need 2 to 4 bacon to wrap chicken fully. Wrap bacon gently but as tight as you can without tearing bacon. For neat even look try to start and finish seam side down to secure bacon.
- Arrange bacon wrapped chicken breast in baking dish.
- Sprinkle remaining brown sugar spice mix all over the chicken evenly.
- Bake bacon wrapped chicken breast in pre-heated oven at 375 degree Fahrenheit (or 185 degree Centigrade) for 25 to 30 minutes, spooning over the pan drippings over chicken every 10 minutes for juicy chicken with extra flavor.
- You’ll know if chicken is done or not with the use of thermometer. Stick the thermometer right in the middle of the chicken breast and if temperature readings are 165 F, chicken is cooked through. If you don’t have thermometer, check for done-ness but cutting breast in the center. If it’s all the way through white, chicken is cooked.
- Optional Step – to make crispy bacon, once chicken is cooked through, broil it in broiler mode for 2 minutes.
- Remove chicken from oven.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve it hot. Don’t forget to spoon over generously the pan drippings over chicken before serving. You can serve this wrapped chicken over a bed of mashed potatoes or with roasted potatoes on the side with veggies on your choice.
Can I Use Other Cuts of Chicken?
Yes. You can use other cuts of chicken. For bacon wrapped chicken recipe it’s best to use boneless chicken. Bone-in chicken are an option too but they are trickier to eat.
Use chicken tenders
Chicken thighs are great for wrapped chicken recipe. It gives you much juicier chicken because of the cut. You may have to use more chicken thighs for the recipe as they are smaller compared to breasts.
Bone-in chicken pieces like chicken wings (drummettes and flats) can also be used. Note: bone-in chicken will need longer time to bake and are trickier to eat.
How Long Should I Bake Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast?
It depends on the size of chicken breast that you use. Fairly medium sized chicken breasts will take around 25 to 30 minutes to cook at 375 F.
Very large chicken breast will take a bit longer, approximately 35 to 45 minutes.
Please check for the doneness of chicken using thermometer or by cutting chicken breast in the center.
How To Check For Done-ness Of Chicken?
Check for doneness but cutting breast in the center. If it’s all the way through white, chicken is cooked. If you don’t want to cut chicken before serving it, use thermometer to check the doneness.
Stick the thermometer right in the middle of the chicken breast and if temperature readings are 165 F, chicken is cooked through.
How To Serve Bacon Wrapped Chicken?
Best part of this chicken dish is it pairs well with almost anything and everything.
- You can serve bacon wrapped chicken over a bed of mashed potatoes with your favorite veggies on the side.
- With roasted potatoes and sautéed green beans.
- It pairs well with melting potatoes and baby spinach.
- With seasoned rice and sautéed mushrooms.
Serve it with whatever you have or whatever you like.
MORE CHICKEN DINNER RECIPES:
Chicken Meatballs in Cream Sauce
Instant Pot Chicken Noodles Soup
Chicken Marsala Cooked in Instant pot
Juiciest Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Instant Pot Spicy Cajun Chicken and Rice
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Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Ingredients
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder I used garlic granules, can use fresh minced garlic too
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or use chili flakes or substitute with more smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper freshly ground
Chicken
- 4 chicken breast or use thin chicken tender cuts or large chicken thighs
- 8 strips bacon thick 1/8 inch strips are best, regular ones can be used too
- ¼ cup brown sugar feel free to adjust quantity as per YOUR taste preference
Garnish
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix all ingredients for the rub – brown sugar, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder (or granules), onion powder, freshly ground pepper and salt.
- Use half the brown sugar spice mix and sprinkle on both sides of chicken breasts. Rub to spread it evenly all over on both sides.
- Wrap bacon around chicken breast. Depending on the size of chicken breast and length of the bacon you’ll need 2 to 4 bacon to wrap chicken fully. Wrap bacon gently but as tight as you can without tearing bacon. For neat even look try to start and finish seam side down to secure bacon.
- Arrange bacon wrapped chicken breast in baking dish.
- Sprinkle remaining brown sugar spice mix all over the chicken evenly.
- Bake bacon wrapped chicken breast in pre-heated oven at 375 degree Fahrenheit (or 185 degree Centigrade) for 25 to 30 minutes, spooning over the pan drippings over chicken every 10 minutes for juicy chicken with extra flavor.
- You’ll know if chicken is done or not with the use of thermometer. Stick the thermometer right in the middle of the chicken breast and if temperature readings are 165 F, chicken is cooked through. If you don’t have thermometer, check for done-ness but cutting breast in the center. If it’s all the way through white, chicken is cooked.
- Optional Step – to make crispy bacon, once chicken is cooked through, broil it in broiler mode for 2 minutes.
- Remove chicken from oven.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve it hot. Don’t forget to spoon over generously the pan drippings over chicken before serving. You can serve this wrapped chicken over a bed of mashed potatoes or with roasted potatoes on the side with veggies on your choice.
Video
Notes
- This recipe can be done with chicken breasts, or chicken thighs (if you want juicier chicken), chicken tenders or even bone-in chicken wings (eating bone-in chicken is trickier).
- Use long thick cut (1/8 inch thick strips) streaky/fatty bacon.
- Depending on the size of chicken breast, number of bacon used will vary.
- You can substitute brown sugar with maple syrup or honey.
- Baste bacon wrapped chicken regularly with pan drippings for even cooking, neater look and extra flavors.
- If bacon begins to smoke at 375 F, reduce temperature slightly. Remember every oven temperature works differently.
- Optional – after baking, broil for 1-2 minutes under the broiler to make the bacon golden and crispy.
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