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 thighs
- Bacon
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Black pepper
- Fresh 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}
Ingredients
- 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs, each one cut in half (I used 1.5 lbs)
- 10 slices nitrate free sugar free bacon* (one for each half chicken thigh)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
- black pepper
- fresh herbs as desired I used sage, thyme, and rosemary
Instructions
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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.
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Wrap one slice of bacon around each chicken thigh half, twice, to cover the chicken surface as much as possible.
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Add each chicken piece to the skillet, seam side up. Allow the first side to brown about 2 minutes.
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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.
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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)
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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!
Tools I Used for My Paleo Bacon Wrapped Chicken:
Want more easy Paleo dinner ideas? Try one of these!
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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There are only 2 of us to please but that can be challenging enough! I love being able to cook meals in the cast iron skillet. And Rob will definitely approve of the bacon! Just pinned this and cant wait to give it a try.
I don’t have a family but when my Dad is here dinner can be a challenge. He’s very picky! I finally got to the point where I was like this is what I’m cooking and if you’re hungry, you’ll eat it. It’s too much work making individual meals!
Looks like another winning recipe, thanks Michele! Whenever I’m stuck in a Whole30 rut, I come to your site to find a new recipe to try. Thanks for sharing your talents for this food lifestyle!
Thanks, and that’s awesome! So glad to hear it 🙂
Can I do this with chicken breast?
To make gluten free-drop the onion powder? Assuming that looks like only thing that could be tricky from gluten perspective – thx
Onion powder is just onion so no issue at all. Maybe you’re thinking of onion soup mix? Onion powder is just dried ground onion. This is the one I buy: http://amzn.to/2d9KOe9
Ok thanks-I didn’t see where it noted recipe as gluten-free so thought maybe I was missing something and wanted to check! Thank you, looks tasty!
A
Thanks! All my recipes are GF, grain free, Paleo and I’m happy to share the products I use 🙂
Hmm… I guess I would say that more and more I’m cooking kind of 50/50, knowing that I will like most things, and knowing that my family has foods that they really love. I try not to do something too different, but I love to try new things. My family would love something like that. Chicken and bacon are a favorite in our house.
My dinner goal is to have my 3.5 year old consume some food. She’s picky – but not in the normal picky way. She’ll eat roast chicken but not nuggets, she’ll eat Mahi Mahi but not tuna, and she still won’t touch a vegetable without lots of persuading. Dinner time is a work in progress. However, she loves bacon (who doesn’t?)- so I’m thinking this will be a winner for all of us! Thanks for another delicious looking meal idea!
That’s so funny! My son is a bit like that – he’s not into “crispy” foods but sadly that also includes crunchy veggies! He loves roasted chicken and chicken thighs but doesn’t love the nuggets or tenders. Like his sweet potato fries a little mushy, too. I don’t understand! He does love bacon though!
I made these last night. They were a huge hit! Even my daughter ate it – though she did remove the bacon – weirdo.
Haha! I also make this chicken without the bacon sometimes if we happen to be out of it, still good 🙂 Without the bacon I love to pan fry in ghee!
you know I have major issue at dinner time with my son! I think now part of the problem is I don’t think to make these foods that he would like because I don’t eat them! please come cook for him lol
I end up cooking (or not cooking) what I want just because it’s only me I have to cook for, but i could seriously see dinner being a challenge otherwise. Heck, it already is 😆 But I was a super crazy picky eater when I was little, and my mom usually had to make me something completely different or I wouldn’t eat. Oops. Thanks, Mom.
I can’t help it, I’m automatically drawn to the potatoes. I wouldn’t kick the bacon out of bed either.
Growing up, I was incredibly picky, like my foods couldn’t touch, and I despised almost everything, especially meat, bacon aside. My parents can’t believe I’m a food blogger now. 🙂
I took a screenshot of this on my phone- they look incredible and I think this needs to be a new fav amongst the kiddos!
Thanks! Totally is a fave – can’t blame them! Really easy too – in fact too easy!
Where do I find smoked paprika!! Never heard of it!
Most grocery stores carry it with the rest of the spices, if you can’t find it you can always purchase online – this is the one I use: http://amzn.to/2exFP9D
Yum! Can I make this with chicken breasts? Also what about an oven option?
Thank you!
Yup you can use chicken breasts! I typically make this half on stove top and half in the oven for best results, but you can make the whole thing in the oven and use the broiler to crisp up the bacon.
I made this yesterday. I was out of rosemary and thyme. Used parsely, italian seasoning, cumin, and nutmeg. Added saute’d garlic and onions last few minutes. Served over salad. LOVED IT!
That sounds great! You can totally season it anyway you like, I like to experiment too 🙂
Tried this last night! It was so good! Served it with some potatoes and a side salad.
Yay! So thrilled you liked it 🙂
Hi Michele! I’m getting ready to start Whole 30 tomorrow and I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I’ve featured your recipe on my latest blog post:
15 Quick & Easy Whole30 Dinners
http://www.happilyeverhauser.com/2017/03/03/15-quick-easy-whole30-dinners/
Thank you! Hope you like this 🙂
I am doing a mix of Whole30 and Keto. What are the nutritional facts. Calories, Fat, Carbs, Fiber and Protein? Thank you in advance 🙂
As of now I don’t provide that for my recipes but you can enter the recipe info into an online calculator for approximate results: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594
These were a big hit in my house. I used smoked paprika because that’s what we had.
Looks great, but not sure why you’re suggesting to serve with roast potatoes, they’re not paleo in the slightest.
Simply delish! Served it with blanched brocolli. Mmmm mmm bacon!
Sounds great, glad you enjoyed!
I enjoyed this recipe. I used thighs and breasts. I feel that the thighs were too greasy when cooked with the bacon. The breasts turned out very moist. I loved the seasoning too. It was a bit messy with the bacon splatter.
I will definitely make again with the chicken breast.
Thanks for the recipe!
Yum! How would this work with bone-in thighs?
What about the grease from the bacon in the pan?
It’s so difficult to find recipes that will please little kids (3 of them) and adults alike and this one definitely fits the bill! It’s been on rotation almost every week since I discovered it a few months back, thank you!
I used chicken breasts and it tastes amazing. Such a simple spice combo, but so flavorful. I cooked the chicken in the oven for 15 min, then flipped it and cooked another 10 because I didn’t flatten it first. Thanks for another delicious dinner! So glad I found your site!!
Made this last night. Both my husband and I loved it. Had some of the leftovers for lunch today. Definitely a keeper!
This is so delicious, quick and so easy! I have made this so many times and it always comes out perfect!! My husband and I love this recipe. It’s my perfect go to chicken recipe!!
Delicious! A hit with all six of our children as well. We served it with rice, riced cauliflower, and sauteed kale. Yum!!!
Seriously- so good.
Super simple and FULL of flavor. Don’t skimp on the suggestion to add fresh herbs- I sprinkled some finely-chopped rosemary onto the chicken once it came out of the oven and it made such a delicious difference.
Adding this to my rotation even after Whole30!
I’m hosting a dinner party for 15 people and wanted to make these, but don’t have a cast iron pan large enough. Can I put them on a sheet pan in oven and broil at the end for browning? Or maybe brown on stove in batches earlier in day and finish in oven on sheet pan? What would you recommend? Thanks!