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Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Chicken is honestly one of the best skillet meals you will ever make! Tender chicken with a creamy sauce with bacon, mushroom, and thyme. The flavor is out of this world!
You guys. I have made a few really really good skillet chicken meals in my day. They are getting some serious rave reviews. This creamy tuscan garlic chicken or this creamy chicken marsala are just a few of the top five star recipes here on the blog. But this recipe right here is a MUST make!
Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Chicken
You can’t go wrong with chicken smothered in a creamy and delicious sauce. But when you add bacon bits and mushrooms to it it takes it to a whole different delicious level. Oh and let us not forget about the thyme. Thyme is one of my favorite herbs to use in cooking and adds such amazing flavor. Seriously this creamy sauce is out of this world.
Just check out that crispy bacon and creamy mushroom thyme sauce. ??
This meal was devoured by my family. I know that you guys are going to LOVE this recipe and want to make it again and again! It is truly a five star meal that you can make right at home.
Bacon Mushroom Thyme Chicken Ingredients:
- Chicken: Bone in chicken thighs are my first choice but you can also use boneless chicken thighs or breasts.
- Olive oil: Adds great flavor to the chicken while it cooks.
- Italian seasoning: I love the combination of flavors in Italian seasoning. (Basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme if you need to make your own at home.)
- Salt and pepper: To taste. The salt will help bring out the other flavors so don’t forget to season the chicken well.
Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce:
- Olive oil: I recommend extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- White mushrooms: Sliced to add a great texture to the creamy sauce.
- Bacon: Cooked and crumble the bacon in when the sauce is simmering.
- Heavy cream: Bring the heavy cream to a simmer until it starts to thicken.
- Salt and Pepper: To taste.
- Garlic powder: Garlic powder gives the great garlic flavor that balances the sweetness of the cream and saltiness of the bacon.
- Fresh thyme: Stems removed, this is my favorite seasoning in this entire dish!
Lets Cook Some Chicken Thighs:
- Preheat oven and skillet: Set oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat.
- Sear and season chicken: Add the chicken thighs and season with italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Pan Sear each side of the chicken for 1-2 minutes until brown and place skillet in oven.
- Bake: Place chicken in the oven for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked throughout. Set chicken aside on a plate.
- Sauté mushrooms: Add olive oil to the skillet and sauté the mushrooms until soft.
- Simmer sauce: Add the bacon, heavy cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme. Bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the chicken back to the skillet and heat for another minute.
- Serve and enjoy immediately.
Variations for Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken:
- Pan fry the bacon: To cook the bacon I like to cut the strips into small (1 inch) pieces before cooking. Then pan fry them while stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Then, depending on the bacon you use, you can cook the mushrooms in the drippings from the bacon instead of oil.
- Cream sauce: Replace the heavy cream with 1 1/2 cups of half and half. If you need to thicken the sauce, add a little bit of flour.
- Instant Pot Chicken: Cook the chicken in an Instant Pot instead of the oven: You still need to sear the chicken first. Then, place in your IP with about a cup of water. Use the “meat” function for 10 minutes on the normal section.
- Service! My kids don’t love their food covered in the sauce, so I plate the chicken without putting it in the sauce at the end. I simply plate the chicken up separately and drizzle the sauce over the chicken instead or put the sauce in a small bowl for the girls to dip their chicken in.
Storing Chicken Thighs:
What is the deal with all the family packs of chicken lately? It seems like everywhere I shop I am seeing more and more of the huge packs of meat. Its usually fine for me to buy in bulk with my big family, but for times when I am not cooking for the whole crew, that is a lot of meat! You may be in the same boat and looking to cook for one or two and are leery of a huge pack of chicken. Well, I have good news for you, this chicken will store SO nicely. So, buy the bulk pack and get that great deal, and I will give you the quick and easy info on storing the leftovers!
Storing Raw Chicken:
- Keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator in its original wrap in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
- Do not rinse raw chicken.
- Store in a container on the bottom shelf so that it does not drip on other items.
- Your refrigerator should be between 38-40 degrees F.
- To freeze: Wrap each piece of chicken in separate pieces of foil or freezer bags, then put all pieces in one larger piece of foil or a large freezer bag. That way you can pull out just what you need when you need it. When stored properly, the chicken will last up to 9 months in the freezer.
Storing Already Cooked Chicken:
- Leave out no longer than 2 hours before refrigerating or freezing after cooking.
- Refrigerate the chicken in shallow airtight containers or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
- If correctly stored, cooked chicken will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and 4 months in the freezer.
- Once you thaw your cooked chicken in the refrigerator, it can stay an additional 3-4 days in the refrigerator before cooking.
- If you thaw chicken in a microwave or in cold water, it should be eaten immediately after warming it up.
More Skillet Chicken Recipes to Try:
- Queso Chicken Skillet
- Creamy Skillet Chicken Cacciatore
- California Avocado Skillet Chicken
- One Skillet Chicken Pot Pie
- Skillet Creamy Chicken Mushroom Florentine
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Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Chicken
Equipment
- Staub Cast Iron Skillet
- Utopia Kitchen Cooking Knives
Ingredients
- 4 bone in chicken thighs can also use boneless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces white mushrooms sliced
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme stems removed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degree. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs and season with italian seasoning and salt and pepper.
- Pan Sear each side of the chicken for 1-2 minutes until brown and place skillet in oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked throughout. Set chicken aside on a plate.
- Add olive oil to the skillet and sauté the mushrooms until soft. Add the bacon, heavy cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme. Bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet and heat for another minute. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for this easy delicious recipe. Made this for dinner last week and served it with garlic herb roasted potatoes. DH said it was “Outstanding”. Our youngest said we should have it again for dinner the next night and our oldest was too busy stuffing his mouth to be able to comment, lol.
It was delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
I made this for my family of 6 tonight. I have a 12 year old boy, 3 year old girls and a 15 month old boy. Everyone loved it. I made it with chicken tenders and cut them up so the littles could feed themselves. Next time I will use less salt and real garlic but it was truly amazing and I can’t wait to make it again.
I am using an equal mixture of cream of mushroom and 2%
We are using this chicken recipe for my son’s wedding reception. Do you think/know if the cream sauce will hold up to freezing and then being thawed and warmed in a roasting oven without the cream separating? The other option is to prepare the chicken ahead and then make the sauce closer to the wedding date but I really like the idea of the whole dish being cooked ahead of time.
What is the creamy bacon mushroom thyme sauce? Is there a recipe or can you but the product to already made?
The recipe is included in the post
Before getting back on the computer I was ready to give up because I was at the store for over two hours yesterday looking for the sauce! I got into a discussion with another shopper and between the two of use came up with the solution to make it myself! So I was very pleased when I finally realized the instructions for the sauce was already in the recipe.
I made this last night… it turned out PERFECT!!! My family loved it… even my very picky 4 year old granddaughter….. I served it with butter nut squash and the flavors worked very well together! GREAT recipe!!!
Made this tonight. It was delicious but my sauce never thickened even thought I used the heavy cream. Should I have drained the liquid that was around the chicken thighs when they came out of the oven before making the sauce?
Hi Erica, when I need to thicken sauces, I mix a few tablespoons of corn starch in a cup of cold water and slowly add it to my sauce under medium heat. I keep adding the cornstarch mixture until I have the sauce as thick as I want it. In place of water, I have also used chicken stock for added flavour. This meal was delicious.
Whenever recipes say to cook until it thickens, it never gets thick enough for us. I use cornstarch, too.
I’d personally cook down the remaining liquid until it’s thick then add the cream. If you prefer to drain it instead, go for it.
Hi Alyssa, In your Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Chicken recipe, what do I use if I don’t have an oven-proof skillet. I do not own a cast iron and I don’t believe my skillets are rated for the oven. This recipe sounds sooo delish, I can’t wait to try it.
Thank You
You should definitely invest in cast iron. Nothing heats as evenly or is as versitile as cast iron. Of all the things my mom got for her wedding gifts, the cast iron is the only thing that has lasted–and she has passed some of them on to me! Now, my daughter is cooking in these same skillets!
What is creamy bacon mushroom Tyne sauce?
I made it last night and it was wonderful. I needed to cook the chicken longer, must have had larger thighs but it was very tasty. This will be added to my special dishes. I also found it quick to prepare, dinner on the table in less than 45 minutes.
Turned out great. Not a stand alone entree. I made a batch of just simple butter noodles to go along with it. Side salad. Everyone was Happie.
How long should I bake it for if I use breasts?
I can’t wait to try this. If there’s one thing I love, it’s finding a new 5 star recipe that I enjoy every single mouthful of with immense glee!! 🙂 If you haven’t already tried it, may I point you in the direction of Nigella Lawson’s Chicken tray bake with bitter orange and fennel…. Oh my goodness!!! It is a 5 star for sure. I actually froze some leftovers too and when reheated it was still just as good! I have it with a Moroccan couscous (premix packet from supermarket) and it is to die for 🙂
Thank you for that, I’ve never eaten fennel but have wanted to and didn’t have a recipe to try. Nigella is awesome, I miss “The Taste”
You should write a cookbook of your fabulous one skillet meals. Honestly, what is better to have for dinner most nights? Easy, quick, minimum ingredients and super tasty and visually appealing. Bravo, Alyssa!
Alyssa, in some of your recipes, such as the frittata, the recipe calls for heavy cream. We never ever eat or use heavy cream in anything. Can 2% milk be substituted?
Yes it can always be substituted with milk. It might just not be as thick and creamy. You can always make a roux to help thicken it up.
Another suggestion might be half and half. It seems to work when I sub it for other heavy cream recipes. 🙂
Just be careful because Half & Half has sweetener (corn syrup) in it…
Hmmm…the ingredient list on my half and half doesn’t say anything about any sweetener. All it says is Milk, cream and either sodium citrate or disodium phosphate which are both used to regulate pH.
Ed~
Only fat-free Half and Half has sweetener in it. The full fat does not.
I use 5% here in Canada, good lower fat sub
I use fage yogurt and it imparts a wonderful flavor.
Those of us who eat keto always use heavy cream, but I did cut it in half and added some chicken broth to keep within my macros. I also left out the Italian seasoning as I have a ton of fresh thyme growing and didn’t want to cover it up. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.