FridgeToTable

What to Make With Chicken and Bacon: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners

Chicken and bacon is salty on salty if you don't hold back. A few slices of bacon season the chicken. They don't need to be a second entrée piled on top. Render the bacon, cook the chicken in that fat, and you have a skillet, a sheet pan, and a simple pasta-free rice bowl. Under 30 minutes with small pieces of chicken. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.

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Quick picks: 3 dinners with chicken and bacon in 30 minutes or less

Fastest option: a 20-minute dinner

20 min

Chicken bacon rice bowl

Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Crisp bacon and just-cooked chicken over warm rice. The bacon fat glosses the rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 2 slices bacon
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 clove garlic

Steps

  1. Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Set it aside.
  2. Cut the chicken small and cook it in a spoon of the bacon fat until opaque.
  3. Add the garlic, then the rice, and toss with the fat left in the pan.
  4. Crumble the bacon over the top. Taste. Add salt only if the bacon missed a spot.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

One-pan or sheet-pan option

28 min

Sheet-pan chicken and bacon

Total time, start to plate · One sheet pan · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Chicken and a few bacon slices roast together. The bacon bashes the chicken with salt and fat.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Cut the chicken small. Lay it on a sheet pan with the bacon.
  2. Pepper it. Skip most of the salt.
  3. Roast until the chicken is cooked and the bacon is crisp, about 18 minutes.
  4. Cut a piece of chicken. If it is salty enough from the bacon, stop. If not, add a pinch.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

The other dinner

25 min

Bacon skillet chicken

Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Bacon renders, then small chicken pieces brown in the fat with garlic.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken
  • 3 slices bacon
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Steps

  1. Cut the bacon into pieces and cook it in a skillet until crisp. Scoop it out. Leave a spoon of the fat.
  2. Salt the chicken lightly. Bacon is salty. Sear the chicken in that fat until just cooked.
  3. Add the garlic and pepper for a minute. Return the bacon.
  4. Taste before any extra salt. You can always add it. You can't take the bacon back.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

Make it with leftovers

Cooked chicken and already-crisp bacon only need warming. Don't recrisp bacon until it is a cinder. Raw bacon should start the pan so the chicken cooks in the fat. Leftover bacon bits are a finish, not a second fry.

More dinners from leftovers

Pantry staples you'll need

  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic
  • Oil

No bacon: the chicken cards on the other chicken pages are calmer. No chicken: bacon and eggs is the eggs and bacon page.

When there is nothing in the fridge

Picky-eater and healthy tweaks

A plain piece of chicken and one crisp bacon slice on the side is easier than a salty crust on everything. Skip extra pepper. Cut the bacon into small pieces so it isn't a chewy strip.

Two slices can season a pound of chicken. You don't need a full package. Pour off extra fat. This is the richer chicken page. Spinach or a salad on the side balances the plate.

More dinners in under 30 minutes

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Related dinners

More dinners with chicken

Questions

What can I make with chicken and bacon in 20 minutes?

Chicken bacon rice bowl takes 20 minutes, start to plate. Crisp bacon and just-cooked chicken over warm rice. The bacon fat glosses the rice.

What's the easiest dinner with chicken and bacon?

Sheet-pan chicken and bacon is the low-fuss one: one sheet pan, 28 minutes. Chicken and a few bacon slices roast together. The bacon bashes the chicken with salt and fat.

Can I make this with leftover or cooked chicken?

Cooked chicken and already-crisp bacon only need warming. Don't recrisp bacon until it is a cinder. Raw bacon should start the pan so the chicken cooks in the fat. Leftover bacon bits are a finish, not a second fry.

What else can I add to chicken and bacon for a full meal?

The cards already use chicken, bacon, garlic. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.

Is chicken and bacon a healthy dinner?

Two slices can season a pound of chicken. You don't need a full package. Pour off extra fat. This is the richer chicken page. Spinach or a salad on the side balances the plate.

How do I make chicken and bacon kid-friendly?

A plain piece of chicken and one crisp bacon slice on the side is easier than a salty crust on everything. Skip extra pepper. Cut the bacon into small pieces so it isn't a chewy strip.

Can I make chicken and bacon in one pan or a sheet pan?

Sheet-pan chicken and bacon uses one sheet pan and takes 28 minutes. Chicken and a few bacon slices roast together. The bacon bashes the chicken with salt and fat.

What if I don't have bacon?

No bacon: the chicken cards on the other chicken pages are calmer. No chicken: bacon and eggs is the eggs and bacon page.