Bacon-wrapped chicken is an easy one-pan meal perfect for a busy weeknight. Make a homemade dressing to drizzle on top for ultimate goodness.
Jump to RecipeBacon-wrapped chicken is something that Justin has been asking me to make for a long time. But, I don’t eat bacon (I know, call me crazy). So I had been putting it off for a while. Though when Ryan heard him mention it, his eyes lit up. That kid LOVES bacon. He eats more than Justin most of the mornings that we make some with breakfast.
The chicken is lightly seasoned to let the flavor of the bacon shine in this meal. Then, top it off with a quick homemade Thousand Island Dressing.
For Tyler (who also doesn’t eat bacon) and me, we really enjoyed the seasoned chicken with the dressing. Serve this with a side salad to use the remainder of the dressing.
While it may seem heavy, it’s actually a pretty light meal.
What Type of Bacon is Best?
The hardest part is getting the bacon to stay around the chicken. You’ll want to use bacon that’s thinly cut. The thick-cut bacon is difficult to get to stay in place. It also takes longer to cook meaning the chicken will likely end up dried out by the time it’s done.
We used the Naturally Hickory Smoked bacon for our meal. That’s the bacon that we typically purchase, so I knew it was a flavor that was well-liked. Also, since it doesn’t have a lot of added flavors, it doesn’t overpower the meal.
Step by Step
Preheat oven to 400F. Season the chicken with thyme, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Yes, I know sugar seems odd, but trust me, it helps give a bit of a carmelized feel to the bacon.
Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each chicken breast, tucking to keep them in place. It’s ok if it doesn’t completely cover the chicken. Or, you can use more slices as needed, as long as it is only one layer the entire way around.
Place the chicken in a large oven-safe skillet and cook over medium heat, turning often, until brown, about 10-15 minutes. Be very careful when you flip so the bacon doesn’t come unwrapped. Once it starts to cook, it’ll stay on better.
Remove the skillet from the heat and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile, stir together mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and ketchup in a small bowl.
Serve the cooked bacon-wrapped chicken drizzled with the dressing. As I mentioned before, a side salad is perfect with this meal. You can cook up extra bacon to break into bits to crumble into the salad and use the Thousand Island Dressing.
Leftovers
Store the bacon-wrapped chicken separate from the dressing. Both can go in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat the chicken, I suggest heating it in the oven at 350F for about 5-10 minutes, until it’s warmed through.
Recipe
Originally Published On: February 3, 2021
Bacon-Wrapped Chicken with Thousand Island Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 lb chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
- 4 slices bacon
- 1/8 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp ketchup
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Season the chicken with thyme, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper
- Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each chicken breast, tucking to keep them in place
- Place the chicken in a large oven-safe skillet and cook over medium heat, turning often, until brown, about 10-15 minutes
- Remove the skillet from the heat and place it in the preheated oven
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through
- Meanwhile, stir together mayonnaise, dijon mustard, and ketchup in a small bowl
- Serve the cooked chicken drizzled with the dressing
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Not a huge fan of the dressing but the rest sounds great!! Love anything bacon wrapped haha!
I’m not a bacon person, but the dressing was my favorite part! You could easily make it without the dressing or add something else that you prefer on top.
I really love coming here and discovering a different way to cook things. We’re in a chicken rut, bored to death, but bacon makes everything better! Can’t wait to try this. PS: we need to have a conversation about *someone* not liking bacon LOL
Hah, my dad asks me all the time where he went wrong with me not liking bacon!
This is interesting because I never had bacon or chicken with dressing, never would imagine it. Is there a homemade recipe for the dressing? I don’t think they sell it in Japan.
Yes! If you look through the recipe, I have in here how to make the dressing from scratch. It was so yummy and I’ll be making the dressing again just to have on a salad 🙂