Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs

I grew up with my Nana Lulu always making the most incredible chicken dishes. They were a part of her huge weekly dinners and I loved it so much. One of them that really stood out was her chicken thighs in parmesan cream sauce. It was AMAZING. So this week I made my own version of that favorite dish with some yummy tweaks. These creamy bacon mushroom chicken thighs are huge on flavor with some great spices and coconut milk instead of regular cream. This is even a Whole30 friendly recipe! Best of all, it was simple to make.

Marc and I have pretty much given up pork and beef. For this recipe though, I cheated to keep that same amazing flavor as my Nana. I tried with turkey bacon and the results were not as good because it isn’t as fatty and salty.
The whole key to these creamy bacon mushroom chicken thighs was having that bacon fat as the first layer of flavor. I then browned the chicken thighs in it before I roasted them in the oven to cook them through completely.
Once I pan roasted the chicken, I started the creamy sauce in the same pan. All of those juices from the bacon and chicken were already there. I LOVE layering flavors in the same pan. The sauce had loads of mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, coconut milk and warm spices. It smelled so incredible!

After the sauce simmered a little, I lovingly nestled the chicken into it and let it all cook together for another couple of minutes. Then it was ready to go! I told you it was simple. Oh my goodness, this was such a fantastic, flavorful dinner. I loved the turmeric and saffron with the coconut milk in the sauce. It was a really fun take on one of my Sunday dinner favorites that Marc went nuts for too. I hope you all love them! xoxo

Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs
Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs
4.84 from 6 votes
Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs
Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 

These creamy bacon mushroom chicken thighs are such an incredible dinner. The sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, and spiced creamy coconut milk sauce just send it over the top! 

Course: Main Course
Keyword: Bacon, Chicken, Chicken Thighs
Servings: 6
Calories: 678 kcal
Author: Jeanie and Lulu's Kitchen
Ingredients
  • 10 strips bacon diced small
  • 8 whole chicken thighs bone in and skin on
  • salt as needed
  • pepper as needed
  • 1 pound cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes 7.5 ounce size
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 3 sprigs rosemary
Instructions
  1. First, cook the diced bacon. Add it to a cold, large skillet with deep sides and then heat it up over medium high heat. Let it cook completely and render out the gorgeous liquid gold fat until it is crispy. While the bacon cooks, season the chicken generously with salt and pepper and pre-heat the oven to 375. Then remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain most of the fat out. Preferably, drain it into a heat proof container and save it to cook with later! Get the pan back on the heat and add 4 of the chicken thighs with the skin side down so that the pan doesn't get overcrowded. Brown them for 5 minutes or so, until they release easily and cook them for another 5 minutes on the other side. Transfer them to a plate and repeat with the remaining 4 chicken thighs. 

  2. Put the other chicken thighs back into the pan and transfer the pan to the oven to roast all of them for 15 minutes in order to cook them through. To be extra safe, you can use a thermometer to make sure they get to an internal temperature of 160F in the very center. Once they are cooked, remove them again to a plate and set them aside. Put the pan back on the stove over medium high heat and add the mushrooms. Let them start to soften and brown for 3-4 minutes, then add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Let them cook for just 30 seconds or so. While that cooks, season it all with the turmeric, paprika and saffron. Then pour in the coconut milk and add the bacon back to the pan, along with the rosemary sprigs. 

  3. Let the sauce simmer for about 3 minutes to let the flavors marry, stirring occasionally. It also will reduce and thicken a little. Finally, nestle the chicken back into the sauce and let it all cook together for another couple of minutes. Then just serve immediately with some kind of grain like brown rice or couscous and some leafy greens! Enjoy!! 

Nutrition Facts
Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs
Amount Per Serving (2 pieces)
Calories 678 Calories from Fat 487
% Daily Value*
Fat 54.1g83%
Saturated Fat 27.4g171%
Cholesterol 156mg52%
Sodium 1009mg44%
Potassium 754mg22%
Carbohydrates 8.9g3%
Fiber 2.6g11%
Sugar 4.1g5%
Protein 39.9g80%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 2.7mg15%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs
Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs

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10 thoughts on “Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs”

  1. 5 stars
    This is absolutely mouthwatering! And it is gluten-free! I love good, homey recipes and I’m a huge fan of bacon and mushrooms, so this recipe is perfect.

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