Creamy BLT Chicken
The following recipe and photography is courtesy of Graham R. and his dog, Carl. For more of their delicious food ventures, visit them on Instagram @cookingwithcarrrl.
There is no sandwich more well-known than a classic BLT. Thick sliced bacon, crisp lettuce and a juicy tomato is all that’s needed to have yourself a perfect sandwich. I know you shouldn’t mess with perfection, but why not throw all that goodness into a creamy cheese sauce!?
This dish takes all the beloved flavors of this fan-favorite sandwich and transforms them into a hearty chicken skillet dinner. One pan meals have rapidly become my favorite way of feeding the masses at my house. Between sports, diaper changes and everything else everyday life throws us, it’s nice to have a warm meal with hardly any clean up! This meal fits that description to a T. It comes together in under 30 minutes and is actually very versatile. You can serve this atop steamed rice, toss in fresh noodles for a next-level BLT pasta or even serve on top of garlic bread for a mouthwatering open-face sandwich!
Juicy Gerber’s chicken breasts are a must for this recipe. They are CARE Certified and each bird is fed an all-natural diet with no GMOs or antibiotics. You can tell they don’t cluck around when it comes to poultry! The chicken breasts are smaller than what you are used to seeing in other grocery stores, but that’s a good thing and proves they are raising all-natural birds. You can also taste the difference, so don’t miss out on this chicken when shopping for this recipe!
Time to bring home the bacon!
Creamy BLT Chicken
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 Gerber's Care Certified chicken breasts
- 6 slices of Heinen’s CARE Certified thick cut bacon
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp. stone ground mustard
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. ranch seasoning
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 1/2 cups Heinen's baby spinach
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 Tbsp. chives, minced
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Place the bacon in the skillet while it is still cold. This will help render as much of the bacon fat as possible.
- While the bacon is cooking, season each chicken breast with salt, pepper and ranch seasoning.
- Remove the bacon from the skillet when it’s finished cooking and remove all but 2 Tbsp. of the bacon fat from the skillet. You can toss the rest or save it for another recipe!
- Add the chicken breasts to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip. Grab a bowl while the chicken is cooking and add the cream cheese, mustard, lemon juice and milk. Whisk together and set aside.
- Remove the chicken when it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pan. Use a wooden spatula to scrape up all the flavor on the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the spinach and tomato. Let boil until the spinach is wilted and reduces in size, about 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped bacon and mix. Place the chicken breasts back into the skillet and remove from the heat. Top with extra bacon crumbles and minced chives.
- To serve, present this dish in the skillet and serve family-style! Serve over rice, pasta or devour on its own. Enjoy!
