My Creamy Garlic Bacon Chicken Thighs recipe is a sizzling blend of herbs, spices, and tender chicken – all in a deliciously indulgent, creamy bacon-y sauce! This dish is fantastic anytime, but the smoky bacon and pungent thyme make it especially satisfying for fall.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHICKEN THIGH RECIPES
Chicken and bacon just go perfectly together, don’t they? One of my forever and ever go-to chicken thigh recipes is this Garlic Sauce Chicken Thighs. In an attempt to jazz that up, I added a cream-based sauce full of savory mushrooms, aromatics, thyme, and paprika, and the combination is out of this world! You can imagine.
I’m pretty sure I don’t have to sell you too hard to run to the kitchen and start on this recipe, but I demand you try this! 😉 I mean, it’s cream sauce with mushrooms and bacon and JUICY chicken thighs. It’s a lot of goodness, and damn worth it since it’s, like, low carb. Keto-Friendly, too. Not that you’re here for that, but it’s good to know. Less guilt will be involved. 😄
I love serving this deeply flavorful, yet easy-to-prepare chicken thigh recipe with everything from mashed cauliflower to buttered egg noodles. Yum!
WHAT’S IN THIS FLAVORFUL CHICKEN THIGH RECIPE?
- Thick-Cut Bacon: This provides the base for the dish, as well as the garnish.
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs: You’ll need about 1.5 lbs.
- Spices: Dried Thyme, Sweet Paprika, Garlic Powder, and Onion Powder
- Yellow Onion and Fresh Garlic: Using fresh as well as powdered onion and garlic add amazing depth of flavor!
- Sliced Mushrooms: Baby bella, shiitake, and button mushrooms all work great. Use what you love!
- Salt and Pepper
- Heavy Cream: This essential ingredient gives a luscious texture and flavor to the sauce.
- Chicken Broth: Another essential flavor base, so use a good quality brand. I like free range, organic broth. You can also use vegetable broth.
- Chopped Fresh Parsley: for garnish.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY GARLIC BACON CHICKEN
This chicken thigh recipe couldn’t be easier to make. Here’s how you do it:
- Fry the Bacon: In a large 12-inch skillet, fry the bacon until crisp, and then set aside.
- Cook the Chicken Thighs: The chicken thighs are cooked in the leftover bacon grease for about 6 minutes per side, until done through. Set aside.
- Create the Sauce: In the same skillet, cook the onions, garlic, and mushrooms until soft and fragrant. Add the chicken broth, stirring well to scrape up any browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce. Finally, stir in the heavy cream and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Return Chicken to Skillet: Add the chicken thighs back to the skillet. You can leave them whole, or cut them up into bite-sized pieces. Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from Heat and Garnish: Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle with chopped parsley and crumbled bacon.
- Serve and enjoy!
TIPS FOR THE BEST BONELESS CHICKEN THIGHS
I love cooking with chicken thighs because they are very forgiving and don’t dry out easily. Follow these tips to make the most out of these versatile lovelies!
- Make sure to cook them long enough: When cooking chicken, you definitely don’t want to cook it until it’s dried out, with a fragile texture. But you do want to cook past the point of a rubbery, bouncy, or chewy texture. That’s a sign that the chicken needs a little more cook time to break down connective tissues/fibers and get to the perfect point of tender juiciness! Use an instant read thermometer to check for doneness – chicken is cooked through when internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
- Trim it: For chicken dishes on the grill or under the broiler, leaving fat and skin on the chicken is great. They crisp up under high, dry heat and add a satisfying texture. But in a saucy dish like this, it’s best to trim away any excess fat or skin– it won’t crisp up well in liquid.
- Season with care: One thing that professional chefs do is taste, and taste, and taste again. I recommend seasoning the chicken before placing it in the pan, but then tasting it once it’s cooked, and again once it’s in the sauce, to make sure the seasoning is on point.
WHAT GOES WITH THIS CHICKEN THIGH RECIPE?
- You know what else goes great with chicken and bacon? Apples! I love serving this dish with a fall-tastic side like Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples and Candied Walnuts, or a scrumptious apple dessert like my Easy Apple Crumble.
- How about something green? My Easy Roasted Green Beans are a simple side you can whip up with minimal effort.
- Savor the sauce with a comforting Mashed Cauliflower side, or make things even easier with a base of buttered egg noodles.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT LEFTOVERS
- Refrigerate leftover chicken in the sauce, in a tightly-covered container. This dish will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Freezing is not recommended, as the sauce will “break” when defrosted.
- To reheat, place leftover chicken with sauce in a skillet or saucepan. Cover and place over low to medium heat until the sauce is almost bubbling and the chicken is heated through. Do not overcook.
More Chicken Thighs Recipes
- Skillet Garlic and Rosemary Chicken Thighs
- Curry Yogurt Marinated Chicken Thighs
- Instant Pot Lemon Butter Chicken Thighs
ENJOY!
Creamy Garlic Bacon Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 6 (about 1.5 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces sliced fresh baby portobello mushrooms
- 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Fry diced bacon to a desired crispness in a large, 12-inch skillet set over medium-high heat.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked bacon from the skillet and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Do not throw out the bacon grease.
- Return skillet with bacon grease to the stove and set over medium-high heat.
- Season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- Add chicken thighs to the hot skillet and cook for 6 minutes, or until you can easily flip over the chicken thighs.
- Flip; continue to cook for 6 more minutes, or until cooked through.
- Remove chicken thighs from skillet; set aside in a plate and keep covered.
- Return skillet over medium-high heat and add diced onion; cook for 2 minutes, or until tender.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 15 seconds.
- Stir in mushrooms; season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Add chicken broth and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in heavy cream and bring mixture to a simmer; continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Return chicken thighs to the skillet; continue to cook for 5 to 7 more minutes, or until sauce is thickened.
- Remove from heat.
- Garnish with cooked bacon and parsley.
- Serve.
Notes
- NET CARBS: 7 g
- To lower WW points down to 6, use Fat Free Half & Half.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
