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Chicken Thighs with Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce - this is one of the best chicken thigh recipes I ever made. Easy, delicious, and perfect for bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs! This is KETO friendly, high-fat, low-carb, gluten free chicken recipe.
Chicken thighs are baked to perfection and then complemented with flavorful creamy mushroom and bacon sauce with lots of fresh thyme. Pure comfort food - chicken dark meat is always delicious in a creamy sauce!
What makes this chicken recipe KETO friendly
- This meal contains high amount of fat from heavy creamy, chicken thighs, and bacon. All these ingredients have high fat, low sugar content.
- Mushrooms are extremely low-carb and a great way to add flavor to keto recipe.
- This recipe contains foods that are high in protein but low in carb, such as chicken thighs.
Fresh thyme is key in this recipe. I used about 5 sprigs of snipped fresh thyme, and also a couple of sprigs more for garnish, on top of chicken thighs and mushrooms:
How to cook bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs:
Start by browning the chicken thighs in a large skillet, then bake them in the oven, for about 20 minutes until completely cooked through.
How to make Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce:
In the mean time, while the chicken thighs bake, start making the sauce by cooking the mushrooms and combining them with the chopped cooked bacon:
Add the cream and snipped fresh thyme to bacon and mushrooms, and make the delicious sauce:
Spoon the sauce over the cooked chicken thighs, and your dinner is ready!
Other KETO friendly chicken recipes
Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Chicken Bake
Bacon Cream Cheese Cheddar Chicken
KETO friendly pork recipes
Bacon and Mushroom Smothered Pork Chops
Low Carb Creamy Pork Chops in Parmesan Sauce
Chicken Thighs with Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken thighs
- 4 chicken thighs , skin-on, bone-in
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning dried thyme, oregano
Mushroom sauce
- 6 oz white mushrooms
- 5 slices bacon cooked, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Season both sides of chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper and Italian herb seasoning mix (usually a combination of dried thyme, oregano and other herbs). Heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken thighs skin-side down. Cook for about 5 minutes, on the skin side until nicely browned.
- Transfer chicken thighs, skin side up, to the foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes or until chicken thighs are completely cooked through and no longer pink in the center.
- In the mean time, make the mushrooms sauce:
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms (without salting - to ensure the mushrooms get caramelized) and cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes flipping once.
- Add chopped cooked bacon to the skillet.
- Add heavy creamy, ⅛ teaspoon salt and snipped fresh thyme, bring to boil, stir, immediately reduce to simmer and simmer for about 2 minutes on very low heat for flavors to blend and sauce to reduce a bit. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- When chicken is done baking and chicken thighs are completely cooked through, add cooked chicken thighs to the skillet and spoon the sauce and the mushrooms on top of chicken thighs.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
What I have been cooking in my kitchen:
3 Years Ago: Chicken Penne Pasta and Mushrooms with Vodka Sauce
4 Years Ago: Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pasta with Basil and Garlic
5 Years Ago: Banana Walnut Bread
I am excited to make this, but I was wondering what did everyone serve it with. Like pasta or rice?
Heather, yes, rice or pasta would be good. You can also do roasted or steamed veggies - broccoli or asparagus. Or use cauliflower rice.
Ok everyone calm down!!!! This recipe was awesome! I did have to tweak it as my cream
Was way passed due, so I added
Two big dollops of sourcream! Yum I also chicken broth as we like it saucy. Made with fresh herbs thyme, parsley. Garlic n onions of course! Added the bacon. Finished in the oven. Absolutely deelishus! Very quick 30 min meal. Can’t wait for lunch tm!
Nettie, thank you so much for such a positive and enthusiastic comment - I really appreciate it! 🙂 Glad you loved the recipe! Love your addition of onions and chicken broth!
It needed a bit garlic powder and onion powder to chicken and sauce for my family since during cooking it I found it to be a bit bland. But after those tweaks we loved it
Kendra, thank you so much for sharing your changes. Adding garlic powder and onions powder is a great idea!
This was absolutely delicious. I served it on a bed of Colcannon. So incredibly good.
Julie, I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share your comment and the 5-star rating! 🙂
I rarely comment on recipes, especially if we don’t enjoy them, but this is not a dish we enjoyed. It smelled good, with the spices and mushrooms cooking, but it was, I hate to say, awful. Perhaps my husband and I are not suited for a keto diet, but this was heavy and well seasoned. The sauce cooked down smooth and I followed the recipe carefully to ensure the best outcome but it’s off our list.
Lynz, I am so sorry to hear about that! Heavy cream can be quite heavy. Maybe, try half-and-half next time and in smaller amount.
By doing boneless chicken could you make this a one pan meal?
Yes, you can! Sear the skinless boneless chicken until almost cooked, and remove from the skillet. Then, make the sauce. Put the chicken back and reheat on low heat until the chicken is cooked through.
Why aren’t the sun dried tomatoes on the ingredients list?
Sun-dried tomatoes are not part of this recipe, but they will certainly taste delicious if you'd like to add them!
Great recipe !! Very simple and tasty. I will modify next time to thicken up that sauce. Just a little too thin for our taste.
Scott, I am glad you tried this recipe and liked it! You can thicken up the sauce by adding more cheese or a small amount of cornstarch.
This recipe was super delicious and came together really easily. Definitely a keeper
Janet, I am glad this recipe was a success. And thank you for the 5-star rating! 🙂
Made this today for dinner tonight. The house smells amazing!
Sharon, I am so glad you made it and glad you found the time to leave such a positive comment! I appreciate it!
Super delicious. I made this for dinner last night and served it with pasta. Everyone loved it, including my fussy young son (who asked when next i can make it). I didnt have thyme so i substituted with sage. Thank you for the great recipe.
Pam, I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and that everyone liked it! Glad sage worked well instead of thyme. Thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment and the 5-star review! 🙂
This was fantastic!! Finished on the grill instead of the oven. Wish I had used more cream for more sauce, though. I wanted to bathe in it!!
Marcy, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe - thank you for such a positive and enthusiastic comment! Make more sauce next time - it's so delicious! 🙂
I made this last night exactly as written and severed with mashed potatoes and veggies. Was quick and easy. My family loved it. Will make again.
Garnet, comments like yours make me so happy! So glad the recipe was enjoyed! 🙂 This is delicious served over mashed potatoes!
Your recipe sounds great and looks delicious but we are not very fond of thyme. What herb or spice would be a good substitution for the thyme?
Hi Tina! You can use fresh basil or fresh parsley, or use dried Italian seasoning.
This was amazing! I used boneless skinless thighs that I trimmed, browned them and put them in oven at 400 to get them more cooked and fat cooked off. I put on broil for a few too to brown them. The flavors were so good! I browned the mushrooms a bit longer too. Definitely going on my rotation. I love your recipes Julia, they are simple and super flavorful! Awesome for busy families!
Rebecca, your comment made my day and made me smile at the same time. Thank you for taking the time to share this super positive feedback - it means a lot to me! 🙂