This recipe for Smoky Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast will soon become a family favorite. One bite, and you’ll understand why.
The secret to keeping these bacon wrapped chicken breasts so moist, tender, and flavorful (besides the bacon wrapping), is to bathe the chicken in a saltwater and sugar brine for 30 minutes before seasoning and wrapping the breasts in bacon. The difference the brine makes is unmistakable and is well worth the extra 30 minutes of basically hands-off time.
The ingredient list for Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast is; boneless skinless chicken breasts (approximately 2-3 pounds), sugar, kosher salt, warm water, bacon, smoked paprika, ground black pepper, and maple syrup. *Note – You’ll notice in the photos that the chicken breasts I’d purchased were very large, so I cut them in half lengthwise. If the chicken breasts you have aren’t quite that large, feel free to leave them in one piece.
If you’re hungry and ready to begin, let’s make the Smoky Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts, shall we?
In a large bowl, add 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 tablespoons sugar and 4 cups of warm water. Add the boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the bowl and allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken breasts from the water and pat dry. If the breasts are large, cut them in half lengthwise. If they’re normal size, no need to cut them. Sprinkle the dry breasts with 1 smoked paprika, additional kosher salt, and black pepper and rub the spices into the meat.
Wrap 1 – 2 slices of thick cut bacon around each seasoned chicken breast. Place the bacon wrapped chicken on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and brush each piece of bacon wrapped chicken with pure maple syrup. Return the chicken back to the oven for an additional 15 minutes (or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center).
- 2 - 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half if really large
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 4 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ pound thickly sliced bacon
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In a large bowl, dissolve 3 tablespoons kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in the warm water. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl and allow the breasts to brine for 30 minutes.
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Remove the chicken from the water and pat the breasts dry with paper towel. Discard the water.
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If the chicken breasts are really large, cut in half.
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In a small bowl, combine the smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
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Rub the seasoning mix all over the <g class="gr_ gr_1926 gr-alert gr_spell gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim ContextualSpelling ins-del" id="1926" data-gr-id="1926">dried</g> chicken.
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Wrap each seasoned chicken breast with 1-2 slices of bacon.
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Place the bacon wrapped chicken on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
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Remove the chicken from the oven and brush each bacon wrapped chicken breast with maple syrup.
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Return the chicken to the oven and continue cooking an additional 15 minutes, or until the center of the chicken breasts are no longer pink, and a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.
Tools and equipment:
large bowl
small bowl
measuring cups
measuring spoons
pastry brush (for maple syrup)
paper towels
baking sheet
chefs knife
non-stick cooking spray (optional)
As I mentioned in the open, this Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast recipe will soon become a family favorite. I can almost guarantee it! Especially if you’ve struggled in the past with serving dry and flavorless chicken breasts, AND if you have bacon lovers in your family!!
Since markets regularly sell boneless skinless chicken breasts in family-sized packages, I recommend purchasing chicken breasts while they’re on sale in the market and then divide the breasts into portion sized packages (re-wrapping them well) and freeze the packages until you’re ready to use.
For other recipes I’ve shared in the past which use chicken breasts, please check out the following titles for:
Blueberry Chili Chicken Skillet Dinner
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
Chicken Beer Bake with Almonds
Admittedly, chicken thighs have always been my favorite part of the bird as far as tenderness and flavor. However, when you take an extra few minutes to brine the breasts, I’m beginning to think I’m now a convert, and the chicken breasts may now give the thighs a run for their money. LOL See what I did there?
I hope you’ve enjoyed this recipe for Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing it to you. Should you have any questions about this recipe, or anything else you’ve seen on my site, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly, or leave me a comment in the comment section below. It is always my pleasure to get back to you with a reply just as soon as possible.
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Kudos Kitchen by Renée ~ Where food, art, and fun collide each and every day!
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