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spooning bacon glaze over a cooked chicken breast in a stainless steel skillet.
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4.85 from 20 votes

Honey Bacon Glazed Chicken

Juicy marinated chicken is packed with flavor and smothered in a mouthwatering spicy honey bacon glaze!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Marinating Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy chicken recipe
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 967kcal

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp steak seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)

Honey bacon glaze

  • 8 slices bacon diced
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tbsp hot sauce we like Cholula
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

Prepare chicken

  • Top cutting board with wax paper, and top with a chicken breast.  Top with another piece of wax paper and use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound chicken to about 1 inch thick.  ** If chicken breasts are thinner, you may not need to do this.
  • Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

Marinate chicken

  • To a wide bowl, add balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, steak seasoning, and rosemary. Pour in olive oil, whisking as you pour.  
  • Add chicken breasts to bowl and turn them several times to make sure they’re coated in the marinade. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.

Make the glaze

  • To a large skillet, add diced bacon and cook over MED heat until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, and drain the excess grease from the skillet, but don’t wipe it clean.
  • Add remaining glaze ingredients (honey, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
  • Cook over MED heat until it comes to a boil. Add cooked bacon and cook another 2 minutes or so.
  • Remove from the heat and pour the glaze into a separate bowl or container and clean the skillet. Glaze will continue to thicken as it cools.

Cook chicken

  • Heat cleaned skillet over MED HIGH heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of oil (olive, avocado, or vegetable).
  • Add marinated chicken breasts (gently shaking off excess marinade before adding to the skillet), and cook for about 4-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.

Serve

  • Let chicken rest for about 5 minutes, then serve drizzled liberally with the honey bacon glaze.
  • Alternately, pour the glaze into the skillet with the chicken and serve that way.

Notes

  1. If you prefer the original recipe from 2015, use fresh rosemary for the marinade (about 3 tsp of minced rosemary), and omit the black pepper and smoked paprika from the glaze.

Nutrition

Calories: 967kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 35g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 752mg | Potassium: 918mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 261IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 3mg