Why You’ll Love this Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken & Potatoes
When you’re looking for a dinner that combines ultimate comfort with minimal effort, this crispy bacon-wrapped chicken and potatoes recipe is about to become your new best friend.
The magical combination of crispy bacon exterior with juicy chicken underneath creates a flavor explosion that’s impossible to resist.
I love how everything cooks in one dish—meaning fewer dishes to wash later.
The potatoes absorb all those amazing drippings while the herb blend creates the perfect seasoning balance.
Can you imagine anything better than the aroma of bacon-wrapped chicken filling your kitchen? Pure dinnertime magic.
What Ingredients are in Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken & Potatoes?
This recipe brings together some of the most satisfying comfort food ingredients you could imagine. The magic happens when juicy chicken gets wrapped in savory bacon, then bakes alongside potatoes until everything becomes golden and irresistible. The herbs and spices create layers of flavor that make this dish so much more than the sum of its parts. And honestly, who doesn’t love the combination of chicken and bacon cooking together?
- 6 chicken thighs
- 6 chicken drumsticks
- 12 slices center-cut bacon
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 onion, coarsely chopped
- 1½ pounds baby Dutch yellow potatoes
- 2 tablespoons dried chives
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
When shopping for this recipe, quality matters more than you might think. Look for chicken pieces that are similar in size so they cook evenly, and center-cut bacon works best because it has a good meat-to-fat ratio that crisps up beautifully. The baby Dutch yellow potatoes are ideal with their buttery texture, but you could substitute red potatoes in a pinch. The adobo seasoning might be new to some home cooks, but it’s worth finding—it adds that special something that’ll have everyone asking for your secret ingredient.
How to Make this Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken & Potatoes
Getting this delicious comfort food masterpiece started couldn’t be simpler. First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F—this temperature is perfect for getting that bacon nice and crispy while keeping the chicken juicy inside.
Then comes the fun part: wrap each of your 6 chicken thighs and 6 drumsticks with a slice of center-cut bacon, doing your best to cover as much of the chicken as possible. Think of it like tucking your chicken into a savory bacon blanket. Place all these wrapped pieces in a 9×13 inch baking dish, season with a bit of salt and pepper, and sprinkle 1 coarsely chopped onion over everything.
Now for the potatoes—those 1½ pounds of baby Dutch yellow potatoes need to find their place in the dish. Nestle them into the spaces between your bacon-wrapped chicken pieces and around the edges of the baking dish. This arrangement isn’t just for looks; it allows everything to cook evenly while the potatoes absorb all those wonderful flavors.
Next, combine your seasonings: 2 tablespoons dried chives, 2 tablespoons dried basil, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning, and 1 tablespoon ground black pepper in a small bowl. This aromatic mixture gets sprinkled generously over both the chicken and potatoes. Can you smell that already? I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
If you want to make this recipe even more efficiently, a Kitchen Aid professional mixer can help you prepare multiple dishes at once while your main course cooks in the oven.
Pop the dish into your preheated oven and let it bake for about 1 hour. You’ll know it’s ready when the bacon has turned deliciously crisp and brown, and the potatoes yield easily when pierced with a fork.
The transformation that happens in that hour is nothing short of magical—the bacon renders its fat, which bastes the chicken while also crisping up, and the potatoes become tender and flavorful. Once it’s out of the oven, you can add that final teaspoon of salt if desired, though taste it first as the bacon and seasonings already provide quite a bit of saltiness.
Serve it hot and prepare for the compliments to roll in. This dish practically serves up praise along with each delicious bite.
Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken & Potatoes Substitutions and Variations
While the classic recipe for this bacon-wrapped chicken dish hits all the right notes, you’ll be happy to know it’s incredibly flexible for ingredient swaps and creative variations.
Swap chicken thighs for breasts if you prefer white meat, or turkey bacon for a lighter option. Red potatoes or sweet potatoes make excellent alternatives to Dutch yellows. No adobo seasoning? Try Italian seasoning or smoked paprika instead.
For flavor twists, I love adding rosemary sprigs between the bacon and chicken, or brushing everything with maple syrup for a sweet-savory finish.
Sometimes I’ll toss in cherry tomatoes during the final 15 minutes. So versatile!
What to Serve with Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken & Potatoes
Complementary sides can elevate your bacon-wrapped chicken dinner from delicious to absolutely memorable.
Since this dish already features meat and potatoes, I like to balance it with something fresh and green. A simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette cuts through the richness perfectly.
Roasted Brussels sprouts or steamed broccoli work wonderfully, too.
Need something with a bit of tang? Consider a small dish of cranberry sauce or pickled vegetables.
For a complete feast, warm dinner rolls might seem excessive with the potatoes, but who’s counting carbs when comfort food is on the menu?
Trust me, you’ll want something to sop up those incredible pan juices.
Final Thoughts
This bacon-wrapped chicken recipe has become my go-to dish for both weeknight dinners and special occasions.
There’s something magical about how the bacon crisps up while keeping the chicken juicy underneath. Don’t you love when a recipe is both simple and impressive?
The versatility is what makes it truly special. You can switch up the seasonings based on what you have on hand, or add vegetables like Brussels sprouts or carrots to the mix.
Trust me, your family will request this regularly. It’s comfort food that feels indulgent without requiring culinary school skills to prepare.
