Chicken & Bacon Bake with Creamy Cider Sauce

Tender chicken breast and smoky bacon are combined with soft vegetables, fresh herbs and sun blush tomatoes which add sweetness and depth. Dry cider adds acidity, while the double cream gives the sauce that velvety texture. The dish is topped with thinly sliced potatoes and mature cheddar, that bubbles into a savoury crust.

This family-friendly bake is an easy cook, and works for a weekend dinner, casual entertaining, or batch cooking for busy weeknights.

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• Why you'll love this recipe
• Recipe ingredients
• How to make chicken & bacon bake
• Recipe variations
• Serving suggestions
• Useful hints and tips
• FAQs
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• Additional recipe suggestions
• Chicken & Bacon Bake with Creamy Cider Sauce Recipe

Recipe ingredients

Find the full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.

• Fats - I use both butter and olive oil to sauté the chicken, bacon and vegetables.
• Chicken - I use lean chicken breast in this recipe.
• Bacon - I add rashers of smoked streaky bacon to flavour the sauce, you could also use smoked pancetta.
• Vegetables - I used leeks, carrots, and celery as base flavours in this sauce.
• Sun blush tomatoes - I like to add sun blush tomatoes to the sauce for depth of flavour.
• Fresh herbs - I flavour the sauce with fresh garlic and thyme.
• Cider - I use dry apple cider in this recipe to add flavour and acidity to balance out the creamy sauce. I avoid using sweet cider as it makes the sauce too sweet!
• Cream - double cream is added to the sauce which gives a velvety texture.
• Mustard - I flavour the sauce with English mustard which works well with the chicken and bacon.
• Potatoes - thin slices of Maris Piper potatoes are layered over the vegetables. You could also use King Edward or Rooster potatoes (Russet would be a great option in the US).
• Cheese - I top the potatoes with some grated mature cheddar cheese.
• Seasoning - this dish is seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

How to make chicken & bacon bake

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160CFan/356F. Place a large oven proof pan on the hob over medium-high heat.
• Place the butter and olive oil to the pan and allow the butter to melt. Add the bacon and chicken and cook until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Place the vegetables into the pan and sauté gently for 10 minutes, taking care not to burn the vegetables.
• Now add the garlic, sun blushed tomatoes and thyme leaves and sauté for a further minute.

• Add the cider, allowing it to deglaze the pan by stirring the base. Reduce the cider by half.
• Return the chicken and bacon to the pan, then add the double cream, mustard, salt and black pepper, and stir to combine.

• Peel and slice the potatoes into really thin rounds. The best way to do this is to use a mandolin. However, if you don't have a mandolin use a board and a sharp kitchen knife, and thinly slice the potatoes.
• Place the slices of potato in a single, overlapping layer on top of the sauce until completely covered.

LESLEY'S TOP TIP: Slice the potatoes evenly and thinly, around 2-3mm. Too thick and they won't soften, too thin and they'll crisp up too quick. A mandolin really helps you here.

• Sprinkle over the grated cheese and place the dish into the hot oven.
• Bake for 40 minutes until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling.
• Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe variations

• Chicken - chicken breast can be swapped for skinless, boneless chicken thigh. You could also used leftover roast chicken, just stir it through the sauce at the end, before topping with the potatoes.
• Cider - swap apple cider for dry white wine, or even apple juice for those who don't want to add alcohol.
• Cream - replace double cream with crème fraiche or sour cream.
• Mustard - replace English mustard with Dijon or wholegrain mustard.
• Potato - swap the potato topping for thin slices of sweet potato, or a mix of root vegetables like carrot or parsnip.
• Cheese - swap mature cheddar cheese for Gruyere or Parmesan.
• Veggie friendly - replace chicken with cannellini beans or butter beans, and add in more vegetables like mushrooms or courgette. The smoked bacon can be replaced with some smoked paprika.

Serving suggestions

This dish is best served straight from the oven. It works well on it's own, but if you want you can add a green salad, buttery greens, or crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Try my Easy Lettuce Salad with Herbs, Buttered Spring Greens, Mixed Green Vegetables with Lemon & Herb Butter, or Charred Cabbage with Garlic & Herb Butter.

Useful hints and tips

1. Take time to brown the meat and vegetables as this adds layers of savoury flavour into the base of the sauce.
2. Use a quality dry cider you would actually want to drink yourself, as this is what's flavouring the sauce.
3. Allow the cider to reduce properly otherwise you risk a watery sauce.
4. Rest the bake for 5 minutes before serving as this allows the sauce to settle and makes it easier to scoop out clean portions.
5. For gluten free diners use Dijon mustard rather than English mustard, and also ensure the cider is gluten free.
6. Allergy advice: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

FAQs

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of these easy chicken recipes:

• Pan Fried Chicken with Cannellini Bean & Bacon Stew
• Curried Chicken Breast & Rice One Pot
• Sesame Crusted Chicken Breast
• Creamy Tarragon Chicken with Asparagus
• Italian Chicken with Ham & Parmesan

Looking for inspiration for feeding the family mid week, then take a look at my Ultimate Guide to Family Dinners. Full of useful hints, tips and recipes.