16 Best Chicken and Bacon Recipes for an Extra Smoky, Salty Bite
Not that you ever need an excuse to eat bacon.
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There are hundreds, nay thousands, of chicken dinners you can consider making on any given day. And not to insult the bird, but chicken can be kind of bland! It is essentially a blank canvas that needs a little somethin' somethin' to complement it. And that is ultimately a good thing, because that means you can pretty much pair it with anything you like. You can spice it up with seasonings, slather it in sauce for your barbecue, or stuff it with cheese.
And perhaps one of the easiest ways to punch up the flavor of your chicken is to pair it with bacon. Each little strip can add such a smoky, salty bite in just a few minutes, making chicken and bacon recipes some of the easiest and fastest ways to impart the flavor, whether you bake, grill, or fry the chicken. You can cook bacon separately and then pile it on a sandwich, sprinkle it on a salad or soup, or mix it into your favorite casserole.
Bacon also has the unique ability in the beginning of a dish too, when the fat is rendered down and the chicken absorbs all that goodness as it cooks. Then you can make a sauce and slather it on top for extra bacony goodness. If you're drooling at just the thought of it, then the smothered chicken recipe and the rest of this list of the best chicken-bacon recipes is for you. Not that you ever really need an excuse to break out the bacon, but don't you and your chicken deserve the best?
Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Name three family-friendly ingredients. If you said chicken, bacon, and ranch, you'd be right! So why not pile them all in a casserole dish with some pasta and cheese for dinner tonight?
Get the Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole recipe.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Hot Honey and Bacon
Spicy mustard sauce works double duty as a marinade and the base for a creamy spread. Mixed with mayo, it's slathered on ciabatta that gets piled high with bacon and chicken breast.
Get Ree's Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Hot Honey and Bacon recipe.
Bacon-Wrapped Chicken with Garlicky Broccoli
It really doesn't take much else besides a few strips of bacon to flavor a chicken breast. Add paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper and then brush the outside with a little maple syrup.
Get Ree's Bacon-Wrapped Chicken with Garlicky Broccoli recipe.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Dip
You can't have a party without a party dip. And nothing gets the crowd going quite like a cheese dip with both bacon and ranch in one bite. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or veggies.
Get the Chicken Bacon Ranch Dip recipe.
Smothered Chicken
Fry juicy chicken thighs in bacon drippings, then smother them in the creamiest, dreamiest gravy. The best part? The bacon that gets crumbled on top when it's served.
Get the Smothered Chicken recipe.
Chicken BLT with Pimento Cheese
A classic BLT is a good as is. But if you add grilled chicken and pimiento cheese spread? Well, that's about the best lunch idea you've had in a long time.
Get Ree's Chicken BLT with Pimento Cheese recipe.
Loaded Chicken and Tater Tots
Think of everything you like about a loaded baked potato and make a meal out of it with tater tots. This chicken is cooked in bacon fat, which gives it that extra boost.
Get Ree's Loaded Chicken and Tater Tots recipe.
Cobb Chicken Salad
Want another hardy lunch idea? This sandwich is packed with eggs, bacon, blue cheese, tomato, avocado, chicken and a savory mayo-based dressing to tie it all together. Pile it high on sourdough bread.
Get Ree's Cobb Chicken Salad recipe.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Underneath a simple hamburger bun, you'll find every kind of fixin' you could ever crave for chicken: melty cheese, coleslaw, bacon, and BBQ sauce. Serve it with a some briny pickle slices.
Get the Grilled Chicken Sandwich recipe.
Chicken and Corn Chowder
Bacon might be the sidekick while chicken and corn play the superheroes in this creamy chowder. But what would Batman be without Robin? Exactly. So crumble on some bacon for good measure.
Get the Chicken and Corn Chowder recipe.
Open-Faced Roasted Chicken BLT
This BLT is so easy to change up. While the chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and bread stay the same, you can switch the spread you use. Instead of regular mayo, or try pesto or chipotle mayo!
Grilled Chicken Bacon Sliders
These little bites have big flavor. Start with grilled chicken sprinkled with Cajun spice and some crisp bacon slices. Then get creative with the cheese flavors, sauces, and extra toppings.
Get Ree's Grilled Chicken Bacon Sliders recipe.
Cobb Salad
Ree calls this classic salad "heaven on a plate." It has crisp greens, grilled chicken, eggs, bacon, avocado, and tomato. Then drizzle over some creamy blue cheese dressing to tie it together.
Get Ree's Cobb Salad recipe.
Coq au Vin
It may sound and taste fancy, but this French chicken and wine dish is pretty easy to make. The key is to cook the chicken in bacon fat to start and then build the dish around it.
Get Ree's Coq au Vin recipe.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini
Toasty bread, spicy mustard, ranch dressing, sharp cheddar cheese: These are all in addition to juicy chicken breast and crispy bacon. You'll be dreaming of your lunch for days!
Get Ree's Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini recipe.
Ranch Style Chicken
Head all the way back to 2009 for Ree's "cowboy-friendly" dinner. She says it's "hearty, exceedingly flavorful, and not the least bit fancy." But boy, is it tasty―no ranch or cowboys required.
Get Ree's Ranch Style Chicken recipe.
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