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Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts

By Ashley Moore

Published on June 21, 2017

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon pepper 4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed8 slices bacon 1 tablespoon vegetable oil ¼ cup packed brown sugar

Before You Begin

Do not use thick-cut bacon here; it won’t render and crisp as well as thin-cut bacon. Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon is our winning thin-sliced bacon. For even cooking, be sure to use chicken breasts that are consistent in size and weight.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine rosemary, salt, and pepper in bowl. Sprinkle chicken all over with rosemary mixture.
  2. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 pieces of bacon: Starting with 1 piece of bacon on underside of wide end of breast, stretch and wrap bacon around breast, spiraling down toward middle. Continue wrapping with second piece of bacon until breast is completely wrapped and bacon seams end up on underside of breast.
  3. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken, bacon seam side down, and cook, without moving it, until bacon is golden brown, about 3 minutes. (Do not flip chicken.)
  4. Sprinkle top of each breast with 1 tablespoon sugar. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until chicken registers 155 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and heat broiler. Broil until bacon is well browned and chicken registers 160 degrees, 4 to 5 minutes. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes. Serve.
Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts

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Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon pepper
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
8 slices bacon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup packed brown sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon pepper
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
8 slices bacon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup packed brown sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon pepper
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
8 slices bacon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ cup packed brown sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

For crispy bacon and juicy, tender chicken breasts, we found that a two-step cooking process was best. We started cooking the bacon-wrapped chicken breasts in a skillet. Once the bacon was cooked to golden brown, we sprinkled the wrapped breasts with brown sugar and transferred the skillet to a moderate 350-degree oven and continued to cook the chicken gently. Once the chicken reached 155 degrees, we popped it under the broiler for deeper caramelization and browning.

Before You Begin

Do not use thick-cut bacon here; it won’t render and crisp as well as thin-cut bacon. Oscar Mayer Naturally Hardwood Smoked Bacon is our winning thin-sliced bacon. For even cooking, be sure to use chicken breasts that are consistent in size and weight.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine rosemary, salt, and pepper in bowl. Sprinkle chicken all over with rosemary mixture.
  2. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 pieces of bacon: Starting with 1 piece of bacon on underside of wide end of breast, stretch and wrap bacon around breast, spiraling down toward middle. Continue wrapping with second piece of bacon until breast is completely wrapped and bacon seams end up on underside of breast.
  3. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken, bacon seam side down, and cook, without moving it, until bacon is golden brown, about 3 minutes. (Do not flip chicken.)
  4. Sprinkle top of each breast with 1 tablespoon sugar. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until chicken registers 155 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove skillet from oven and heat broiler. Broil until bacon is well browned and chicken registers 160 degrees, 4 to 5 minutes. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes. Serve.

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