These creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs are absolutely delicious. Crispy skin and tender inside, chicken thighs are coated in a creamy sauce with salty, crispy bacon, earthy mushrooms, and fresh thyme. These creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs might become your favorite quick Whole30 dinner recipe! But for a quick Whole30 dinner recipe, these creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs are totally dinner party worthy.
I’ve kept this a secret for months.
I made them at the tip of the tail end of winter last year, setting up my lights while the sauce simmered away on the range, surprised, then, that I didn’t need to use them at all. The sun was low, but still awake, granting me enough light to shoot these creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs without the artificial glow of my tabletop lights.
But with spring on the horizon, I knew I should save this recipe for those early fall days when we all start craving heartier foods with fresh, woody herbs and richer, rather than lighter and fresher, flavors. So I waited… but you know what?
I hated every second of it.
As soon as I tasted the very first bite of these creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom thighs, I knew it was love. The salty, crispy bacon, the earthy mushrooms with their perfect sear, the garlicky, creamy sauce, the heady herbs, and the tender chicken thighs with their crispy skin? I just couldn’t think of a better dish, especially as the sun sets a little sooner each day.
In fact, this recipe for creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs quickly became the foundation for so many more recipes of mine, including the cranberry apple chicken thighs with rosemary I’ll be posting shortly, not to mention the apple bacon rosemary chicken thighs coming up here soon. You see, I’d perfected the chicken thigh years back, with its crispy skin and super tender meat, pan searing to treat that rich skin and finishing in the oven to cook things just right.
Adding bacon and mushrooms was just kind of the next obvious step.
These creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs are easy enough for a quick Whole30 dinner on a weeknight but elegant enough for company. As a bonus, you’ll have your friends all clamoring for information on the program, because you can seriously eat this on a Whole30?!
True story.
Creamy Whole30 Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs
These creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs are absolutely delicious. Crispy skin and tender inside, chicken thighs are coated in a creamy sauce with salty, crispy bacon, earthy mushrooms, and fresh thyme. These creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs might become your favorite quick Whole30 dinner recipe! But for a quick Whole30 dinner recipe, these creamy Whole30 bacon mushroom chicken thighs are totally dinner party worthy.
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon diced
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs
- salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms about 3 cups, sliced
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- In a large oven-proof skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp and fat is rendered. Transfer cooked bacon to a plate and pour out all but 1-2 tablespoons bacon grease. Increase heat to medium-high.
Season both sides of chicken thighs generously with salt, freshly ground pepper, and Italian seasoning. Carefully place chicken thighs in the skillet skin-side down, taking care to place them so they will cook evenly without having to move them. Cook for about 7 minutes or until skin side is nice and evenly browned and releases easily from the pan. If the skin sticks, continue cooking until skin releases easily. Flip chicken thighs over.
- Transfer skillet to oven and cook for 13 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160º F. Carefully transfer chicken thighs to another plate and place skillet on the stovetop. Take special care to always, always use a pot holder from this step forward; the handle will stay very hot.
Add sliced mushrooms and cook on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown and a bit softened, stirring only once midway. Add garlic and, stirring constantly, sauté about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Add coconut milk, salt, and sprigs of fresh thyme to the skillet. Increase heat and bring to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 2-4 minutes, until flavors are blended and sauce is reduced a bit.
- Add bacon and stir. Taste sauce and add more salt and pepper as desired. Return chicken thighs to skillet and coat with sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice and some leafy greens.
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