Chicken Thighs with Bacon
Chicken Thighs with Bacon are loaded with flavor from wine and shallots and is super easy to make! Made with just a few ingredients, there you have the perfect weeknight meal!
These perfectly baked chicken thighs with bacon is the most frequent chicken thigh recipe request I get for birthdays and holidays by my entire family, closely followed by Peri Peri Chicken Thighs recipe.
To make this gourmet style meal, the chicken thighs are initially browned in the cast iron pan and then finished cooking in the oven, which makes them crispy on the outside, but moist and juicy on the inside. Just like we like it!
Oh, the crispy, salty skin and the tender chicken thighs are out of this world! But it’s the amazing pan sauce made with bacon that steals the show. It’s so so heady and rich that I can’t find a perfect combination of words to describe it! You will know what I mean when you put out these easy chicken thighs with pan sauce on the table yourself.
What to serve with these easy chicken thighs with
I’ve served my baked chicken thighs over pasta, mashed potatoes and orzo, spooning the delicious white wine and shallot reduction over the whole thing. If you’re gluten free, serve them over cauliflower rice or roasted potatoes. As long as you savor every spoonful of the amazing pan sauce, you can’t go wrong.
What skillet to use
This 12 inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet is what I used in this chicken this recipe. It’s a very well made oven safe skillet, that cooks as a non-stick and doesn’t leave weird black dots like other cast iron skillets do. It has over 9,000 positive reviews on Amazon and is one of my most used kitchen skillets!
Chicken is an easy dish to get bored of, but with the right baked chicken thighs recipe in one hand, and a cast iron skillet in another – you can transform boring chicken thighs into something you want to eat every single night or maybe every week!
This easy chicken recipe calls for 1.5 pound of chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in, which is about 5-6 thighs. I got 5 in my pack.
Prep Work. Combine spices listed in the seasoning mixture: Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and salt, and mix well. Rub the mixture on the skin of paper towel dried chicken thighs and set aside. Cut the bacon into small pieces and set aside. Slice shallots thinly and set aside. Prep work is done!
Bacon. Start by frying the bacon pieces for 5-6 minutes in olive oil on medium high heat in a cast-iron skillet, stirring occasionally.
Shallots. Remove cooked bacon and add shallots to the hot bacon grease/olive oil in the same pan and cook on for about 5 minutes on medium high until they are soft.
Chicken Thighs. Remove shallots from the pan and cook the seasoned thighs skin side down first on medium high to render out the fat and make the skin crisp for 4-5 minutes on each side for a total of 8-10 minutes.
How to Pan Sear Chicken Thighs Perfectly
Make sure to preheat your skillet before adding oil. Next place chicken thighs skin down on the hot skillet and do not move them until 4 minutes is up! Resist the urge to move chicken thighs around or flip them as it will mess up the browning process. After 4 minutes check for color, if you like what you see – flip it and cook on the other side for another 4-5 minutes.
Check the other side for color. If it’s brown enough to your liking – you’re done. Remove chicken thighs from the skillet.
How to make creamy pan sauce
Add butter to the pan and once melted, add 1 tbsp flour and cook it for only a minute, until it’s no longer white. Add the wine slowly to the hot pan, increasing heat from medium-high to high for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and let everything cook until it reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.
Adding Shallots, Chicken Thighs and Bacon BACK. Add shallots into the sauce first, followed by chicken and bacon, spreading some of the bacon pieces on top of the chicken. Bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven when the chicken is fully cooked.
Serve your baked chicken over pasta, grains, or another starch. Ladle plenty of sauce over!
And now that you’ve tasted this perfection of a white wine pan sauce, you will never, ever go back to simple roasted chicken thighs. Not with these golden, crispy-skinned perfect chicken thighs with pan sauce making all the difference in the world!
More Delicious Chicken Thigh Recipes
If you love delicious chicken recipe as much as we do you might enjoy:
Chicken and Potatoes in Dijon Mustard Wine Sauce
Herb Roasted Chicken in Creamy White Wine Sauce
Skillet Chicken in Mushroom Sauce.
And for even more interesting chicken transformations, you can browse these popular chicken recipes: Balsamic Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Apples
Chicken Pasta in Creamy White Wine Parmesan Sauce).
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Baked Chicken Thighs with Pan Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken, Bacon and Shallots:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 lb. chicken (skin-on bone-in - about 5-6 pieces)
- 5 slices bacon
- 4 shallots sliced
For the wine sauce/gravy:
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3/4 cup sodium free chicken broth (adjust salt if not sodium free)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
Seasoning Mixture:
- 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning (thyme, oregano, etc.)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- PREPARATION: Combine spices listed in the seasoning mixture: Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, paprika and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add chicken thighs to the bowl and rub the mixture on the chicken skin. Set aside. Cut the bacon into small pieces and set aside. Slice shallots thinly and set aside.
- BACON AND SHALLOTS: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Fry bacon pieces for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan. Add shallots to the hot bacon grease/olive oil in the pan and saute for 5-6 minutes on medium high heat until softened. Remove from the pan as well.
- CHICKEN THIGHS: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place chicken thighs in the skillet skin down and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, turning once between cooking, about 8-10 minutes total. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Chicken will be golden brown but not cooked through.
- MAKING SAUCE/GRAVY: Reduce heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon butter. Once melted, whisk in 1 tablespoon flour. Now add wine slowly to the hot pan, increasing heat from medium-high to high for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and let everything cook for about 5 minutes.
- ADDING SHALLOTS, CHICKEN AND BACON BACK: Add shallots into the sauce first, mixing them with the liquid. Next add chicken thighs, followed by the bacon pieces, spreading some of the pieces on top of the chicken. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven when the chicken thighs are fully cooked.
