Is it just me, or does bacon make everything taste better? This bacon wrapped chicken is so tender, juicy, and flavorful. The crispy, caramelized bacon on the outside pairs so wonderfully with the chicken breasts making each bite sweet, savory, and smokey.
It’s the perfect dish to make for any occasion, thanks to how easy it is to make. It only requires a few ingredients and minimal prep time so it’s great for date-night, family dinners, or when you have dinner guests!
Chicken breasts get a bad rep for being boring, but this recipe is far from boring. Wrapping the chicken in bacon is an easy way to elevate baking a plain chicken breast. If you want another delicious chicken breast recipe like this one, then try my spinach stuffed chicken breast recipe, chicken cordon bleu recipe, or homemade chicken parmesan.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Chicken breasts — I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I don’t recommend getting bone-in chicken breasts, as that will change the cooking time.
Seasoning — I use a combination of paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper to add flavor to the chicken. Keep in mind that while seasoning does not technically expire, it does become stale and lose flavor over time.
Sugar — the brown sugar adds a sweetness to the dish and helps caramelize the bacon. It pairs wonderfully with the salty and savory flavor of the bacon. You can use light or dark brown sugar. Don’t have brown sugar on hand? Here’s how to make brown sugar.
Bacon — use regular bacon to wrap the chicken breasts in. Bacon that is thicker will require a longer time to cook and become crispy in the oven.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Chicken
1. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper.
2. Rub half of the seasoning mixture all over the chicken breasts.
3. Wrap each chicken breast in 2 slices of bacon, making sure the ends of bacon are tucked under the bottom side of each breast. Place the wrapped chicken on a wire rack over a lined baking sheet and sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture over top of the chicken.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the chicken registers 165°F in the thickest portion. To get crispier bacon, you can broil for 2 to 3 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Do not skip baking the chicken wrapped in bacon on a wire rack. When you place the chicken breast on a rack, the bacon grease will drip off the chicken and onto the bottom of the baking sheet. This prevents the bacon from sitting in the grease and allows it to crisp up.
- Try to buy chicken breasts similar in size so they cook evenly in the oven.
- Standing time after cooking allows the juices in the chicken to settle, resulting in tender, juicy chicken. It also allows the sugar on the bacon to cool down and form a nice sugar crust.
- This recipe goes well with a variety of side dishes. Some of my favorites include my roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted delicata squash, smashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, and roasted carrots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use a thermometer to take the guesswork out of whether or not the chicken is cooked through! A meat thermometer allows you to check if the chicken is done without slicing through it if you want to serve the breasts whole. The chicken should be 165°F in the thickest portion.
You can season the chicken breasts and wrap them in bacon for up to one day before cooking. After wrapping them, store the chicken breasts in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook.
After allowing the bacon wrapped chicken breasts to cool entirely, place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. The bacon will get soggy if you store the chicken while it’s still warm.
You can reheat leftovers quickly in the microwave or reheat the chicken in a baking dish at 350°F in the oven to keep the bacon crispy.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Bacon Wrapped Chicken recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Foil
- Wire rack
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (73g)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound/900g)
- 8 bacon slices (not thick-cut)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack inside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Rub half of the seasoning mixture all over the chicken breasts.
- Wrap each chicken breast in 2 slices of bacon, making sure the ends of bacon are tucked under the bottom side of each breast. Place the wrapped chicken on the wire rack and sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture over top of the chicken.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the chicken registers 165°F in the thickest portion.
- To get crispier bacon, you can broil for 2 to 3 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Do not skip baking the chicken wrapped in bacon on a wire rack. When you place the chicken breast on a rack, the bacon grease will drip off the chicken and onto the bottom of the baking sheet. This prevents the bacon from sitting in the grease and allows it to crisp up.
- Try to buy chicken breasts similar in size so they cook evenly in the oven.
- Standing time after cooking allows the juices in the chicken to settle, resulting in tender, juicy chicken. It also allows the sugar on the bacon to cool down and form a nice sugar crust.
- This recipe goes well with a variety of side dishes. Some of my favorites include my roasted Brussels sprouts, roasted delicata squash, smashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, and roasted carrots.
