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If you’re looking for a way to make chicken breast that’s super juicy, make this baked chicken breast recipe. But if you want to take it up a notch, make your chicken wrapped in bacon! This easy bacon wrapped chicken breast recipe is super easy and tender, with crispy bacon and caramelized flavor. It’ll definitely be a family favorite.
Why You’ll Love This Bacon Wrapped Chicken Recipe
- Savory caramelized flavor
- Tender and juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside
- Simple ingredients
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Naturally gluten-free and low carb
- Easy chicken dinner for kids or company
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for baking chicken wrapped in bacon, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Chicken Breasts – I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can use chicken thighs for a dark meat option (baking time can vary). You could also make bacon wrapped chicken tenders.
- Olive Oil – Helps hold the seasonings onto the chicken. Substitute any neutral cooking oil you like, such as avocado oil, if needed.
- Seasonings – Including smoked paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. These simple spices make the best all-purpose seasoning blend for bacon wrapped chicken.
- Bacon – Make sure to use regular sliced bacon, not thick cut bacon, as thick cut will take too long to crisp up. If you don’t have bacon on hand, prosciutto wrapped chicken is a similar flavorful alternative.
- Maple Syrup – Maple syrup is optional, but gives the bacon a slightly sweet caramelized flavor. I use sugar-free maple syrup, but you can use regular or make homemade maple syrup. You could also substitute brown sugar if it fits your lifestyle; I don’t eat refined sugar so use the natural Besti Brown sugar substitute when I want this option.
How To Make Bacon Wrapped Chicken
This section shows how to bake chicken wrapped in bacon, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven. Prepare an oven-safe rack fitted over a rimmed baking sheet (this set is perfect!) by lining the baking sheet with foil and then placing the rack over it.
- Dry. Place the chicken breasts onto a cutting board. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Season. Brush both sides of the chicken lightly with olive oil. Season both sides with smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Wrap. Starting from one end of the chicken breast, wrap a slice of bacon around it, with minimal to no overlapping (see tips below). Add a second slice (or even a third if your chicken breasts are large) to cover most of the chicken in bacon. Place onto the rack. Repeat with the other chicken breasts.
- Brush. If desired, brush maple syrup over the bacon.
- Cook. Bake bacon wrapped chicken breasts in the oven.
- Rest. Remove chicken from the oven. Tent the pan loosely with foil and let it rest before serving. I like to serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Tips For The Best Bacon Wrapped Chicken
If you want to make the best bacon wrapped chicken breasts, these tips will help:
- Dry the chicken. Before seasoning and wrapping in bacon, make sure the chicken is dry. This helps to lock moisture in the chicken.
- Brine if you have time. I didn’t do this for the sake of time, because wrapping the chicken in bacon helps to lock in moisture anyway, but for extra juicy chicken, brine it first like I do in my baked chicken breast recipe.
- Avoid stretching bacon. Make sure to position the bacon so that the ends are tucked underneath and avoid stretching it, so the bacon doesn’t unravel during cooking.
- Use toothpicks if needed. If you can’t get the bacon tucked underneath, secure it with toothpicks.
- Use more bacon as needed. Average chicken breasts (8 ounces) will need about 2 slices of bacon per chicken breast. If yours are larger, you may need to use 3. The chicken should be almost completely covered, as shown in the photos.
- Bake on a rack. You can make bacon wrapped chicken breast in a baking dish, but I highly recommend this baking sheet set with rack. It allows for additional air flow and doesn’t leave the chicken sitting in bacon grease, so the bacon gets crispy on all sides. (You can even save the bacon grease from the bottom of the pan.)
- Don’t overcook. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. The safe internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F, but I like to remove bacon wrapped chicken breast a couple degrees before that (at 163 degrees F), because the temp will rise a few degrees while resting.
- Resting is important. Letting the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing lets the juices settle, keeping the chicken moist inside.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, place in an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- Meal Prep: Season and wrap chicken breasts before baking, then store in the refrigerator. When ready, simply bake as usual.
- Reheat: For crispy results that taste fresh, reheat oven baked chicken breast wrapped in bacon in the oven or in the air fryer, at 350 degrees F. The microwave won’t dry it out due to the bacon wrapping, but I don’t recommend it because the bacon won’t be crispy anymore.
- Freeze: You can freeze bacon wrapped chicken before or after baking. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for about 1 hour, or until the bacon is firm. Then, transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw chicken overnight in the fridge before cooking as usual or reheating. (I don’t recommend reheating from frozen, as it may be dry.
What To Serve With Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast
What side dishes can you serve with bacon wrapped chicken to make a complete meal? Check out these ideas for some tasty combinations:
- Vegetables – To balance out the richness of the main dish, add a veggie side like sauteed eggplant, Instant Pot cauliflower, crispy smashed brussels sprouts, roasted green beans, or sauteed broccoli.
- Cheesy Sides – Pair this main with cheesy asparagus, cauliflower mac and cheese, or cheesy yellow squash for the ultimate comfort meal.
- Potatoes – Classic sides like roasted potatoes and mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower) pair perfectly with chicken. If you brushed maple syrup on the bacon wrapped chicken, roasted sweet potatoes are the perfect pairing.
- Salad – For a lighter option, you can pair these wrapped chicken breasts with a pear salad, kale crunch salad, or broccoli salad.
- Sauce – This chicken would taste fabulous with a side of sugar-free BBQ sauce or sugar-free honey mustard.
- Appetizer – For a full bacon wrapped meal, serve bacon wrapped shrimp as an appetizer.
More Bacon Wrapped Recipes
Add a crispy and savory element to your favorite dishes with these bacon wrapped recipes — including appetizers and easy mains!
Recommended Tools
- Baking Sheet Set – This set is the best because the rack fits perfectly inside. I also like the patented coating that’s PTFE-free and never sticks.
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast (Crispy & Juicy)
This bacon wrapped chicken breast recipe has juicy chicken, crispy bacon, and a touch of maple flavor. It's an easy 30-minute chicken dinner!
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Place the chicken breasts onto a cutting board. Pat dry with paper towels.
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Brush both sides of the chicken lightly with olive oil. Season both sides with smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
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Starting from one end of the chicken breast, wrap a slice of bacon around it, with minimal to no overlapping. Avoid stretching the bacon, or it will unravel during baking. Make sure to position the bacon so that the ends are tucked underneath and avoid stretching it, so the bacon doesn’t unravel during cooking. If you can’t get the bacon tucked underneath, secure it with toothpicks. You'll need 2 slices of bacon per chicken breast, or 3 slices for extra-large chicken breasts. Place the chicken breast onto the rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken and bacon.
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If desired, brush maple syrup over the bacon.
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Bake bacon wrapped chicken breasts in the oven for 18-20 minutes, until the chicken internal temperature reaches 163-165 degrees F (73-75 degrees C). (You can do slightly under 165 to keep it juicy if you like, as the internal temperature will rise a few degrees while resting.)
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Remove the chicken from the oven. Tent the pan loosely in foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. This will allow the juices to settle, so it stays juicy, and the internal temperature should rise to at least 165 degrees F (75 degrees C).
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 bacon wrapped chicken breast
Nutrition facts do not include optional maple syrup.
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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10 Comments
Jeanne
0I want to know if you can do it in a airfryer?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jeanne, Yes, that should work for you.
Jill
0Tried it for a “last minute” dinner and we both loved it. (my idea of last minute is 40 min or less!) In fact, we agreed that our family would enjoy because of flavor and the juiciness of the chicken. I plan on trying chicken thighs next. I have become a believer in tenting ANY animal protein for best results.
June Kaneshiro
0My family loved it! But I could not find the oven temperature. After reading a comment, I tried 425 degrees. I thought the bacon would be crispier. (But I’m the only one that likes bacon burnt.)
It’s definitely a keeper! Next time I’ll buy more chicken (thighs) & bacon so everyone can take leftovers home. Thank you! BTW, does lean turkey bacon work the same & taste okay?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi June, The oven should be set to 450 degrees. You will find that info in the step 1 of the recipe card. Yes, turkey would work it may cook faster than regular bacon.
Susan McGuiness
0I prepared this today and it was delicious! I used the spices listed, all favs of mine. However, it did take 4 pcs of bacon for each chicken breast. I thought your recommended oven temp was a bit high, so I baked mine at 400 degrees for 45 min and that was plenty long. However, that being said, the bacon was not as crispy as I would have liked, but was cooked through. I served this with local, fresh corn on the cob, a hot zucchini side dish with onions, fresh tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil. Steamed Basmati rice was also served. Overall, a great recipe and thank you for sharing. P.S. I did not use the maple syrup, the bacon was awesome enough 🙂
Sarah
0Followed recipe exactly and used pure maple syrup and freshly ground black pepper. Quick, easy and delicious!
Claire T
0We make these all the time, my kids love them!
Sarah Skaggs
0This was sooo good! My whole family loved it.
Journa Liz Ramirez
0This bacon wrapped chicken breast was irresistible! We had no leftovers! So tender and juicy and flavorful. New favorite, thanks Maya!