IS it just me, or does bacon make everything taste better? This bacon wrapped chicken is so tender, juicy, and flavourful. The crispy, caramelized bacon on the outside pairs so wonderfully with the chicken breasts making each bite sweet, savoury, and Smokey.
It is 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 is 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.
Chicken breasts — I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I do not 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 flavour to the chicken. Keep in mind that while seasoning does not technically expire, it does become stale and lose flavour over time.
Sugar — the brown sugar adds a sweetness to the dish and helps caramelize the bacon. It pairs wonderfully with the salty and savoury flavour of the bacon. You can use light or dark brown sugar. Don’t have brown sugar on hand?
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.
cup brown sugar (73g)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
teaspoon ground black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 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 two 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 two to three minutes. Let the chicken rest for five 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.—https://preppykitchen.com
