Maple Dijon Chicken with Bacon
This is a delicious way to make chicken exciting. Simple and super easy to make, with a sauce made of garlic, maple, dijon mustard, and cream to coat the chicken. I love this chicken served over simple rice. The sauce is soaked up magnificently by the rice and it balances the chicken perfectly. If rice is not your thing, mashed potatoes or pasta are great too.
This beautiful dish starts with bacon. If you’re like me, and you like bacon, then you know already this is going to be good! After the bacon is crispy, the chicken is cooked in a bit of the bacon fat and then finished with the tastiest mustard based sauce.
The sauce is a bit tart, a bit sweet, a bit creamy and so full of flavor. The beautiful thing about this dish is that not only is it easy to make but it is so fantastically good that it can be served for an easy weeknight meal or a nice weekend dinner with family and friends.
How I made this Maple Dijon Chicken with Bacon:
TIP! For this recipe it is key to have all the ingredients prepared and waiting to be used because the sauce comes together in a matter of seconds and the chicken can overcook easily. Having all ingredients chopped, measured and set aside will save time and will allow for the cooking process to go smoothly.
Using a semi deep large pan on medium high heat, start cooking the bacon and crisping it up.
Cook the bacon pieces until all the bits are crunchy.
Line a plate with a paper towel and place the cooked bacon over the paper towel to help absorb any excess fat. Set aside.
Pour the bacon fat from the pan where it was cooked, to a bowl and set aside.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Add the flour to the seasoned chicken and toss all together.
In the same pan where the bacon was cooked, add 2 tablespoons of the bacon oil and set heat to medium high.
Start cooking the chicken in batches to prevent the pan from being overcrowded.
Tip! An overcrowded pan doesn’t allow for the chicken to crisp up, it will just steam it.
Cook the chicken for 2 minutes on each side until nice and golden on the outside. Place the seared chicken bits in a bowl and set aside as the batches get seared.
AT THIS POINT THE CHICKEN IS NOT COOKED THROUGH. Do not worry as it will finish cooking in the sauce.
Tip! As the chicken cooks, it will absorb the oil quickly. Add bacon fat to the pan as needed to make sure it is getting a golden sear.
To Make the Maple Dijon Sauce for the Chicken
Time to act quickly and orderly to everything comes out well:
Once all the chicken bits are seared and set aside, in that same pan, add the garlic along with the extra virgin olive oil.
Quickly, before the garlic burns, add the mustard and maple syrup.
Stir the garlic, mustard, and garlic together.
Add the heavy cream and vegetable stock.
Stir all ingredients together and let it come to a simmer.
Season the sauce with a bit of salt and pepper.
Tip! The bacon fat used to cook the chicken will add plenty of saltiness to the sauce, be careful adding more salt.
Once the sauce starts simmering, add the chicken back into the pan and coat well in the sauce.
Add the bacon and parsley and mix in.
Cook the chicken in the sauce for 3-4 more minutes. At this point the sauce will start to thicken up.
Remove the pan from the heat.
Serve the chicken over a serving of white long grain rice.
Enjoy!
Maple Dijon Chicken with Bacon
Equipment
- large semi deep frying pan
Ingredients
- 7 strips bacon cut into 1 inch strips
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 lb chicken breast meat cut into 2' inch bits
- 2 garlic cloves chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable stock
- 4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley chopped finely
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- For this recipe it is key to have all the ingredients prepared and waiting to be used because the sauce comes together in a matter of seconds and the chicken can overcook easily.
- Using a semi deep large pan on medium high heat, start cooking the bacon and crisping it up.
- Line a plate with a paper towel and place the cooked bacon bits over the paper towel to help absorb any excess fat. Set aside.
- Pour the bacon fat from the pan where it was cooked to a bowl and set aside.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Add the flour to the seasoned chicken and toss all together.
- In the same pan where the bacon was cooked, add 2 tablespoons of the bacon oil and set heat to medium high.
- Start cooking the chicken in batches so the pan is not over crowded.
- Cook the chicken for 2 minutes on each side until nice and golden on the outside.
- Place the seared chicken bits in a plate and set aside as it gets seared. AT THIS POINT THE CHICKEN IS NOT COOKED THROUGH.
- As the chicken is cooked in batches, add bacon fat to the pan as needed.
- Once all the chicken bites are seared and set aside, in that same pan, add the garlic along with the extra virgin olive oil.
- Quickly, before the garlic burns, add the mustard and maple syrup.
- Stir the garlic, mustard, and maple syrup together.
- Add the heavy cream and vegetable stock. Stir all ingredients together and let it come to a simmer.
- Season the sauce with a little bit of salt and pepper.
- Once the sauce starts simmering, add the chicken back into the pan and coat well in the sauce.
- Add the bacon and parsley and mix in.
- Cook the chicken in the sauce for 2-3 more minutes.
- The sauce will start to thicken at this point, remove the pan from the heat.
- Serve the chicken over a serving of white long grain rice.
- Enjoy!