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
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Preheat oven to 375 F.
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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.
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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 nicely and evenly browned and releases easily from the pan. If the skin sticks, continue cooking until skin releases easily. Flip chicken thighs over.
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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 stovetop. Take special care to always, always use a pot holder from this step forward; the handle will stay very hot.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Girl, this recipe looks so freaking good! Love the deep sear on the chicken. Yum!
Thanks Kristen! It really is SO good. Crispy chicken skin = my life
This looks like a beautiful dish! Chicken breasts get all the love, but I loooove me a good thigh.
Right?! I’m a thigh lady myself 😉 So tender, and that skin!
Tried this tonight and I will definitely make it again. Only change I made was adding about 1/2 cup of diced onions with the mushrooms. Do good!!
Great idea! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Thank you for the delicious recipe (and for teaching me how to make perfect chicken thighs!) My family loved it! PS – I just voted for your chili!
Yay! Thank you so much 🙂 And I’m so glad you liked the recipe! Seriously, this method of cooking chicken thighs is so versatile. This recipe is one of my all-time favorites: https://40aprons.com/perfect-seared-chicken-thighs-pan-sauce/
Does it need to be coconut milk? I have almond milk but I know the consistency is not the same.
I would definitely recommend full-fat coconut milk for this, otherwise it won’t be nearly as rich or creamy.
Do you shake the can of coconut milk then pour 1 cup or do you use the cream only?
This was so amazing! I put some of the sauce over some green beans and that was super good too! Thank you for a delicious recipe.
Sounds delicious! I’m SO glad you liked it Cori!
Could you use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs – if so, any modifications for cooking?
Absolutely! My recommendation is to use an oven-safe meat thermometer that will let you know when the temperature reaches about 162º F – that’s when you’ll remove the chicken. Otherwise I’d keep the cooking time about the same. The size of chicken breasts vary so wildly it’s hard to say exactly how long it will take in the oven, but 13 minutes is a good start 🙂
Have you every tried this with boneless thighs? That’s what I have but not sure how the time would differ.
I haven’t, but I’m confident it’d be delicious! I’d shave maybe 5 minutes off the baking time with boneless thighs. An oven-safe thermometer is absolutely ideal, so you can take the thighs out when they reach about 162º F! Let me know how it works for you 🙂
I did it last night with boneless skinless thighs. After cooking the bacon, I turned off the pan and added the chicken and let that sear in the residual heat while I seasoned the other side of the chicken. Then I put it in the oven for 18 minutes.
That’s awesome! Thanks so much for sharing how it worked with boneless thighs 🙂
I make it with skinless boneless thighs I get from Costco and it’s amazing!!!!
I’m so glad you liked it!!!
Do you cover the pan before putting it in the oven?
Nope!
I made these exactly per recipe tonight, and it was absolutely delicious. I served them with roasted Brussels sprouts, and the meal was a big hit with everyone (husband,5 year old, 3 yr old and 1 yr old). Thanks for such a great Whole30 recipe!
I’m SO glad you all liked it so much!
We had this for dinner on Monday and it was delicious! The perfect recipe to make when you’re Whole30-ing, but your husband and kids aren’t 😉 Everyone loved, and no one missed the typical cream sauce made with cream. Definitely making again.
Ah! I’m soooo glad you made it and liked it 🙂 Are you Whole30ing? That’s exciting!
Do you leave it skin side down when you put it in the oven?
I prefer to flip them skin-side up. They get crisper that way!
This was absolutely my favorite Whole 30 recipe thus far! Thanks so much!
That makes me so happy Jene!!
Best Whole30 recipe I’ve tried! Boyfriend (who is not on Whole30 and quite a picky eater) went back for seconds. Thank you!
Picky eater win!! That’s so great 🙂 so glad you liked it!
I plan to make this on Monday night next week and I’m already looking forward to it!! Is it imperative to cook this in an oven-proof skillet? I’m a newlywed and I do not have one yet. 🙂 I can probably borrow from my mom or a friend if this would interfere with the meal!
What you can do is wrap aluminum foil over the handle of a skillet that isn’t oven-proof; that will prevent any melting! Or, if necessary, you can transfer the chicken to a separate pan to bake, then use the skillet to finish the sauce
I don’t know in what world it takes 13 minutes to cook this chicken in the oven. It takes at least 45 minutes uncovered so plan on adding more cooking time. After a total of almost two hours, dinner was done and was well worth the wait! This one is a crowd pleaser for sure!
I’m so glad you liked the dish Brittany! Did you make sure to use chicken thighs and really brown them on the stovetop first? We use this method for chicken thighs weekly and 13 minutes always works for us 🙂
This was by far the best Whole 30 recipe we have made. The leftovers are just as good too. Over cauliflower puree made it restaurant quality! I even subbed salmon one night and it was just as good. Thanks for our new staple!
I’m SO glad you like it! And love that it’s so versatile. Thank you so much for letting me know!
This is good enough for company! I had to use 1/2 prosciutto because I didn’t have enough bacon. It is so delicious and flavourful. I can’t wait till my husband gets home to try it. Thanks for another wonderful recipe Cheryl.
That is such a compliment, Jane! I’m so glad you like it 🙂
I made this today and it was incredible! Will definitely make this again and again! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I am so so happy to hear that! Thank you Bev!