Oh, hello, Bacon! Welcome to my dinner, you’ve just made it a party! This Smothered Chicken with Bacon, and Tomatoes is a STRESS-FREE dinner that your entire family will LOVE!
You will love it because it’s so easy to make! Your family will love it because it’s loaded with delicious big comforting flavor. The chicken is smothered in a creamy sauce infused with smokey and salty bacon flavor. Cherry tomatoes give a sweet and tangy pop. And the chicken seasoned with sage is the perfect moist vessel for all of this goodness!
This recipe cooks up quickly on the stove in a skillet or pan. It pairs perfectly with pasta, rice, quinoa, or heck, a flip flop!
Cooking from the Freezer
When weeknights are busy, it’s so nice to have a stocked freezer to turn to. I’m not talking about frozen pizzas or frozen TV dinners. I’m talking about fresh ingredients that you can easily prep ahead and grab for quick cooking dinners.
This Smothered Chicken with Bacon and Tomatoes recipe is one of those grab-from-the-freezer easy dinners! Bacon stores amazingly in the freezer and of course chicken breasts do as well. Pre-sliced scallions also freeze nicely and are great when they are being added to a cooked dish. They are not great it you want to use as a garnish.
Simply pull the chicken out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw in the fridge. For the bacon, just cut off as much as you need while still frozen, then put the rest back in the freezer.
Now, for the cherry tomatoes, you do not want to freeze them. But, these are great to have on hand for a variety of quick meals from breakfast to lunch to dinner!
Click here to get my printable cheat sheet with 10 Freezer Hacks to make easy dinners!
Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
You need a large skillet/frying pan for this recipe. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning. It comes with a glass lid, which is perfect for watching your dinner cook!
Oh, I also like to cut my raw chicken with kitchen shears, but you can also just cut with a knife. And mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.
PREP-AHEAD FOR YOUR CHICKEN WITH BACON AND TOMATOES
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are steps you prepare in the day(s) ahead.
Slice the bacon into small bits.
Cut the chicken breasts into 2 pieces each and then season with a mixture of the ground sage, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Finely slice the scallions. Mince the garlic. Store the bacon and chicken separately in the fridge until ready to cook. The scallions and garlic can be stored together in the fridge.
How far ahead can I prep the chicken?
You can cut and season the raw chicken breasts up to 3 days in advance. Be sure to store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Once you cook the chicken, you can save it for another 3 days.
Do I have to use Bacon?
You can skip the bacon, but it’s what brings the smokiness to this dish. If you still want that flavor, you can add some paprika to the seasoning for the chicken. You can also swap the bacon with pancetta if you want that pork flavor without the smokiness.
COOK YOUR YOUR CHICKEN, BACON, AND TOMATOES
Preheat a large frying pan on high heat. Add the bacon pieces and cook for 7-8 minutes to render the fat and crisp up the bacon. Transfer the bacon to a plate on a paper towel using a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon fat in the pan.
To the bacon fat, add the seasoned chicken breasts. Cook 5 minutes on the first side and then 2 minutes on the other side. Then cover the pan and cook for another 3-5 minutes to cook through until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 F or all pink is gone in the center. Transfer chicken to the plate with the bacon.
To the same pan, add the garlic, the tomatoes and half of the scallions. Pour in 1/4 cup of the broth and scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to pop and get juicy.
Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and the remaining broth to the pan and then whisk in the half and half slurry. Bring up to a simmer while stirring as it thickens. Add back the chicken and half of the bacon bits. Let cook for 3 minutes so that everything comes together. Serve over Fettuccine.
Can I freeze this after it’s cooked?
Yes, the Chicken, Bacon, and Tomatoes (without the pasta!) will freeze very nicely. You can store it in the freezer for up to 4 months. However, don’t freeze the pasta. Make that fresh when you defrost and warm up the chicken again.
ENJOY! 😍 Carrie
Smothered Chicken, Bacon, and Tomatoes
This Smothered Chicken with Bacon, and Tomatoes is a STRESS-FREE dinner that your entire family will LOVE! You will love it because it's so easy to make! Your family will love it because it's loaded with delicious big comforting flavor. The chicken is smothered in a creamy sauce infused with smokey and salty bacon flavor. Cherry tomatoes give a sweet and tangy pop. And the chicken seasoned with sage is the perfect moist vessel for all of this goodness! #chickendinnerideas
Ingredients
- 10 oz Fettuccine
- 1 lb Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 tsp Ground Sage
- 4 oz Bacon
- 10 oz Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 tsp Garlic, minced
- 4 Scallions
- 1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1/4 cup Half and Half
- 1 tbsp Corn Starch
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
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Measure out and mix in a small bowl, the ground sage, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Cut the chicken breasts in 2 pieces each and season with the seasoning mixture.
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Slice the bacon. Finely slice the scallions. Mince the garlic.
Cook
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Bring a large pot of water up to a boil. Add a tsp of salt to the pasta water and then add the fettuccine pasta to the boiling water and stir so they noodles do not stick together. Bring back to a boil and cook for 7-8 minutes until al dente. Save 1 cup of pasta water, drain the pasta and add it back to the pot and cover while you finish the chicken.
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Preheat a large frying pan on high heat. Add the bacon slices and cook for 7-8 minutes to render the fat and crisp up the bacon. Transfer the bacon to a plate using a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon fat in the pan.
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To the bacon fat, add the seasoned chicken breasts. Cook 5 minutes on the first side and then 2 minutes on the other side. Then cover the pan and cook for another 3-5 minutes to cook through until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 F or all pink is gone in the center. Transfer chicken to the plate with the bacon.
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To the same pan, add the garlic, the tomatoes and half of the scallions. Pour in 1/4 cup of the broth and scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to pop and get juicy.
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While the tomatoes are cooking, make the corn starch slurry by mixing the half and half and the corn starch in a small bowl.
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Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and the remaining broth to the pan and then whisk in the half and half slurry. Bring up to a simmer while stirring as it thickens.
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Add back the chicken and half of the bacon bits. Let cook for 3 minutes so that everything comes together. If the sauce is too thick, you can whisk in another 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Serve over Fettuccine.
