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This Crispy One-Pan Paleo Bacon Wrapped Chicken is an easy dinner that’s perfect for a weeknight! It’s Whole30 friendly, packed with flavor, super filling and comforting, and great with your favorite veggies and potatoes. Kids love it too!
We are taking a step into my personal dinner world right now. Where the goal (with 3 kids you think this way) is simple – make food that’s easy and everyone eats. And, oh right, let’s make it Paleo, too. So no pasta with butter, no easy mac, no hamburger helper (hmmm…that one I might need to think about making over.)
So, crispy chicken thighs wrapped in bacon, it is! One pan, (I recommend a large cast iron one for this recipe) 20 minutes, and it goes with everything! A few simple spices and the perfect method to get everything nice and crispy makes this one a favorite over here.
Is bacon Paleo?
That depends! Bacon is typically cured using a combination of ingredients including brown sugar, as well as other additives. Therefore, cured bacon is NOT Paleo.
That’s why I recommend using uncured nitrate-free bacon. If you’re doing Paleo, Whole30 or otherwise prefer sugar-free bacon, the pork bacon from U.S. Wellness Meats is insanely delicious.
Really – we’ve been eating it for 3 years and whenever we run out, nothing else seems to measure up – it’s amazing!
Even if I’d be happy eating, say, this breakfast for dinner at least 5 nights per week, I have other people to think about. Little people with big opinions on which foods they’ll accept into their lives. Plus a husband who still asks me if something is Paleo when he actually likes it. In other words, I have high maintenance eaters in my house. Doesn’t everyone?
So, we cheat. That’s right – CHEAT! Because I’m tired, because my ego can’t take another dinner rejection, and because really, I can be a picky eater, too. There, I said it! Especially when I’m tired and just want comfort food.
Except, this One-Pan Paleo bacon wrapped chicken isn’t cheating – it’s just making simple and delicious comfort food because we can! The real secret of my dinner-world is that I mostly cook what I want to eat. Besides, it’s easier to face rejection of any kind when you’re happy and satisfied with your own choices in life, don’t you think?
Believe me, I love chicken nuggets and chicken tenders just like any 7 year old, but, they’re messy to prep, cook, and not an everyday thing for us. This Paleo bacon wrapped chicken really can be an everyday thing, and works really well for leftovers for the next day too!
Ingredients in Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken thighsBaconOnion powderSmoked paprikaBlack pepperFresh herbs
Cut each chicken thigh in half. That way you can get one piece of bacon wrapped around each piece.
For the fresh herbs, I used rosemary, thyme, and sage in this recipe, but you can use any fresh herbs that you like.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Step 1. Combine the spices in a bowl and sprinkle the mixture all over the chicken thighs.
Step 2. Heat a heavy duty skillet over medium-high heat and also heat your oven to 400 degrees. We’re going to take this chicken straight from stovetop to oven.
Step 3. Wrap a piece of bacon around the middle of each chicken piece. You should be able to wrap it around twice. Don’t worry about keeping the bacon in place – when you cook the chicken in the skillet, the bacon will crisp up and stay put.
Step 4. Add the bacon wrapped chicken to the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until browned. (No need for cooking fat to coat the skillet in this recipe! The bacon will do the job for you right in the pan as the fat renders off.)
Step 5. Transfer the skillet into the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. The chicken should have no pink left and the bacon should be crispy.
Step 6. Garnish the chicken with fresh herbs if you like, then serve and enjoy!
Tips for cooking crispy bacon in the oven:
-Make sure your oven is set to the right temperature. 400 degrees is the magic number. Anything less than that and your bacon will likely not crisp up enough. Too high, and you may end up with a charred mess!
-Use your broiler. If your bacon wrapped chicken isn’t quite crispy enough, you can give it a boost by heating it under the broiler in your oven for a minute or two. Just be sure to watch it so it doesn’t burn.
-If you end up with time to kill between cooking and serving this bacon chicken, you can transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off the fat. This will allow the bacon to crisp up even more, and then you can return it right back into the skillet when you’re ready to serve.
How to Serve Paleo Bacon Wrapped Chicken
I like serving this chicken with simple roasted potatoes and a salad or veggies. If you’re crunched for time, you can bake a few potatoes or sweet potatoes ahead of time and simply heat them in the oven along with the chicken.
Boom! You have a meal from start to finish in 20 minutes. That’s often the only time I have for getting dinner ready most nights! Let me know what you think – let’s cook!
One-Pan Paleo Bacon Wrapped Chicken {Whole30}
One-Pan Crispy Paleo Bacon Wrapped Chicken {Whole30}
Easy one-pan Paleo Bacon Wrapped Chicken using boneless skinless chicken thighs and sugar-free bacon for a simple yet flavor packed, Whole30 friendly dinner that everyone will love! Prep Time: 5 minutesCook Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 20 minutesCourse:Dinner/LunchCuisine:Paleo &, Whole30Keyword:bacon chicken, bacon wrapped, chicken thighs, paleo bacon, paleo chickenServings: 6 -8 servings
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Ingredients
5bonelessskinless chicken thighs, each one cut in half (I used 1.5 lbs)10slicesnitrate freesugar free bacon* (one for each half chicken thigh)2tsponion powder1/2tspsmoked paprika1/2tspfine grain sea saltblack pepperfresh herbs as desiredI used sage, thyme, and rosemary
Instructions
Mix the onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle over all the chicken. Heat a large cast iron skillet over med-hi heat and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.Wrap one slice of bacon around each chicken thigh half, twice, to cover the chicken surface as much as possible.Add each chicken piece to the skillet, seam side up. Allow the first side to brown about 2 minutes.
Turn over each chicken piece carefully so the bacon doesn’t move, so seam side is down and browned side is up. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake until the chicken is no longer pink and bacon is crisp, about 10-15 minutes.
If chicken is cooked and the bacon isn’t crispy enough for your preference, put the chicken under the broiler for a minute or until the bacon is cooked to preference (keep a close eye on it)Garnish with fresh herbs if desired while chicken is still in the pan, and serve with your favorite veggie and potatoes. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*For Whole30 friendly sugar-free bacon, U.S. Wellness Meats is amazing and has been my favorite bacon since my first Whole30!
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Want more easy Paleo dinner ideas? Try one of these!
Chorizo Sweet Potato Chili
Easy Paleo Meatloaf
Pan Fried Italian Style Meatballs
Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Tell Me!
What are your “dinner goals”?
Do you cook what you want, what your family wants, or a mix?
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