This mouthwatering bacon-wrapped chicken recipe has been around for a long time. It's hard to go wrong when you start with skinless boneless chicken breast, right? When you wrap every piece of chicken in bacon, it gets even better. Do you agree?
The small amount of dried beef in the first layer adds a surprising amount of flavor. Then when you smother it in a tasty sauce made of sour cream and mushroom soup, magic happens.
I made this bacon-wrapped chicken dish for a bunch of teenagers today. We have two grandkids graduating this year, and seniors are free to leave campus for lunch.
So, once a week I invite them to have lunch at our house and bring friends! Today was a record; we had 8!! It made me grin ear to ear.
I love cooking for these kids, and oh my goodness they can put away a ton of food! Each week I savor every precious moment of laughing teenagers clustered around the old wooden table in my humble kitchen. Memories made and cherished.
And did I mention it's simple to do!? Everything in the meal was on special, so I was pretty excited. The bulk boneless, skinless chicken breast was only $2.99 a pound, the bacon on sale for $1.99, and the package of dried beef was only $1.89.
The chicken breasts were Paul Bunyan size so I cut them into approximately 6-8 ounce serving pieces. I used half the package of bacon and the whole 3-ounce pouch of dried beef.
I make this in a favorite well-aged stoneware pan from Pampered Chef, but a cast-iron Dutch oven or Le Creuset baking dish would be awesome.
You can use an ordinary glass or aluminum pan, but a heavy pan will give you the best results. Keep an eye on regular pans, lower the oven temperature a little, and lightly tent with foil if it begins to brown too quickly.
This chicken dish is meant to be slow-cooked in the dry heat of an oven. That's how the sauce gets so thick and creamy.
Once this dish is in the oven, you're free to roam and can pretty much go do whatever else you need to do while this bakes happily. When it's baked in a slow oven using a heavy pan, it doesn't dry out. The slow, low dry heat of the oven makes all the yumminess mingle, marry, and form a great sauce.
This bacon-wrapped chicken entree is so rich and flavorful; it's perfectly served with a plainer potato, noodles, or rice because there's an ah-may-zing sauce that forms. I often opt for buttery homemade mashed potatoes, which are also easy on the budget and always a hit.
The kids devoured it all! But this crew isn't keen on vegetables. So I learned an inexpensive little trick to get some veggies on their plate. They'll load up on French-cut green beans if I drizzle them with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt!
I always have a little something sweet for them, and often it's something simple like Desperation Cookies or a pan of Lemon Bars. As the kids file out the door and back to class, they grab and go. I'll never forget these special lunches. We won't have a senior again for a year so I will savor every memory until then. Meanwhile, I can't wait until next week!
Fork tender chicken that forms a delicious, creamy sauce. Easy to throw together then bake it in a slow oven for 3 hours,
No matter what you serve alongside this tender, delicious bacon-wrapped chicken you'll get compliments!! What's your favorite chicken dish? Please share! Always looking for something new.
Update! The last time I served this the boys loved the sauce so much they asked me to make extra next time so they could spoon some over their mashed potatoes. I have to agree; this sauce is boss!
If you enjoyed this recipe today, please share it on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. I’d sure be tickled and ever so grateful; thank you!
If you haven’t already, check out my Facebook page where I’ll be posting easy, delicious, and family-friendly recipes every week!
Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free gift! A printable sign that would look great in your kitchen, framed above your sink, or just placed anywhere to remind us how lucky we are to have dirty dishes!
Have been blessed enough to eat this many times. Fork tender and delish!!
Always makes my heart smile when family feet are under our table.
Now this is my kind of chicken...with the bacon and sour cream. What more could I ask for??
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Oh my gosh it is soooooo good!!
... so wonderful that you made memories and lunch for those students as they will never forget that day ...
... seems fresh green bean bundles with garlic salt and brown sugar wrapped in 1/2 strip of bacon would go perfectly here ... baked off on separated cookie sheet.... fresh beans can take the long slow oven ...
The pleasure was all mine, I assure you! Enjoyed every minute until COVID spoiled our fun!😒 Your green bean bundles sound amazing!! I will most definitely give that a try! Thank you!!!