Make weeknight easy, dinner party elegant Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs with 4 simple ingredients and less than 10 minutes of prep! Succulent chicken thighs enveloped in perfectly cooked bacon are nothing short of spectacular.
Assemble these juicy parcels just before baking or several hours in advance. An ideal main course for gatherings where the last thing you want is to spend the evening in the kitchen.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Thighs: boneless and skinless
- Bacon: ideally thin cut
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper: ideally freshly ground
Tips for Success
- If you love crispy bacon, look for thinnest bacon slices you can find. If you love your bacon juicy and pliable with crispy edges, look for slightly thicker bacon. I don't recommend thick cut bacon because it's more difficult to wrap around the thighs.
- While wrapping the chicken thighs, keep the thighs as flat as possible and avoid overlapping the bacon. A double thickness will take longer to cook and you won’t get an even crispiness. And when placing the wrapped thighs on the baking rack, give each one a little space for even cooking all the way around.
- For easy cleanup, line your rimmed baking sheet with foil before adding the oven safe rack to catch all the drips.
FAQ
Yes, absolutely, but you'll want to make a couple of adjustments. Boneless skinless chicken breasts will cook 5 to 10 minutes faster than skinless boneless chicken thighs at 400˚F (20-25 minutes), so you'll want to partially cook your bacon before wrapping the breasts (find directions for this in my Bacon Wrapped Shrimp post.) Note that baked chicken breasts tend to be drier than thighs, but the bacon will help with that!
There's no need to pre-cook the chicken thighs. They'll bake for 25-30 minutes at 400˚F, so they’ll be cooked through (test them with an instant read thermometer if you have any doubt - it should read at least 165˚F). Cloaked in bacon, they'll retain their juiciness and absorb some of the bacon's smoky flavor.
The most accurate way to know when thighs are done is to test them in the thickest part with an instant read thermometer - it should read at least 165˚F.
Recipe Options
- Embellish the simple seasoning with your favorite fresh or dry herbs. Fresh rosemary and thyme or sage and oregano are good options. Or try brown sugar and a dusting of cayenne pepper or any dry rubs or spice mixtures meant for chicken.
- Try different bacon styles, hickory smoked or maple bacon are good options.
Serve With
- Lyonnaise Potatoes and Arugula Salad
- Mashed Red Potatoes and Creamy Cucumber Salad
- For dessert, Chocolate Panna Cotta or Affogato.
More Easy Bacon Wrapped Recipes You'll Love
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
Season chicken thighs with kosher salt and pepper and wrap each thigh with a strip of bacon. Arrange bacon wrapped thighs in a single layer on an oven safe rack placed inside a foil lined, rimmed baking sheet.
Bake in a 400˚F preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until bacon is crisp and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F on an instant read thermometer.
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs ~ 4-ounces each
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 8 bacon slices ideally thin slices (see recipe note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Place an oven-safe rack inside a foil lined rimmed baking sheet (for easy cleanup).
- Season chicken thighs with kosher salt and pepper. (Keep in mind that bacon is salty, so take care to not over season with salt.)
- Wrap each chicken thigh with a slice of bacon and place on rack in baking sheet (keeping the thighs as flat as possible and taking care to minimize how much the bacon strip overlaps itself). Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until bacon is crisp to your liking and an instant read thermometer reads 165˚F in the center of thighs. Serve.
Notes
- Thin bacon slices work best here. Thick cut bacon is more difficult to wrap around the thighs and takes longer to cook.
You had me at bacon . . . 😉
Love how quickly this can be put together and be so delicious and impressive all at once. ~Valentina
haha...right? Thank you, Valentina!
My boys love these Marissa! Anything wrapped in bacon and they're all about it. We've made them so many times they now make them on their own too!
I love that, Mary Ann!
Bacon makes everything better, glad that you used thighs 😁
Thanks, Raymund!
Bacon plus chicken - this combination simply cannot be wrong. And this chicken looks so succulent and hearty. Can also see this idea with prosciutto.
Thanks so much, Ben!
Juicy chicken combined with crispy bacon!? You've got my attention! This sounds delicious, and I need to put it on the menu ASAP.
I think you and you family will really enjoy this, David!
I would never say no to anything bacon-wrapped Marissa. These look so delicious! Perfect for a dinner party or date night!
haha...who could say no? Thank you, Katherine!
Everything tastes better with bacon 🙂
It's true.