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Creamy Maple Dijon Chicken Skillet with Bacon takes comfort food to a healthy level. For those chilly evenings when you need something warm and decadent, this easy one pan meal does the trick. This recipe is deliciously creamy and comforting, but also dairy-free, gluten-free, and Paleo!
Creamy + Decadent + Healthy!
Yes, it is fully possible to have all three of these in one dish!! This Creamy Maple Dijon Chicken with Bacon is absolutely next level delicious.
Something about the combo of coconut milk, dijon mustard for a little tang, and some maple syrup for more depth and sweetness makes for one amazing dinner!
My most popular dish of last year was my Creamy Lemon Chicken with Asparagus and Mushrooms. The idea of this dish was born as kind of a sister to this recipe. I am thrilled with how the smoky bacon complimented the sweetness of the maple syrup and the zest of the dijon. It’s pretty much perfect.
Although this seems like an “fancy” type meal to serve on a Sunday night or for company, it’s surprisingly one of those quick and easy meals you can whip up on a busy weeknight!
What’s in Creamy Maple Dijon Chicken?
This dish actually has minimal ingredients:
- Bacon: use sugar free for a Paleo version
- Chicken breast: pound to less than 1 inch thick
- Coconut oil: you can also use olive oil or avocado oil. This is only if you need extra oil for the mushrooms and leeks!
- Sliced mushrooms: If you love that deep, savory flavor, try adding mushroom. They blend in effortlessly and make the dish even cozier. For this, I prefer baby Bella mushrooms
- Leeks: you can sub with onion, but I love the heartiness of leeks this time of year!
- Canned coconut milk: Use the full fat stuff, and coconut cream also works well! This can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store
- Dijon Mustard: my favorite dijon is from Trader Joe’s.
- Real Maple Syrup: for a hint of sweetness
How to make Creamy Maple Dijon Chicken with Bacon:
- We start by cooking the bacon in a hot skillet. Once crispy to your liking, saute the chicken breast in 2 tbsp of the bacon grease until browned on both sides.
- Remove the chicken (it doesn’t have to be cooked all the way). Now saute the leeks and mushrooms.
- Once the leeks and mushrooms are softened, place the chicken and coconut milk back into the pan and simmer.
- Whisk together the dijon mustard and maple syrup, and pour into the pan. Stir and let simmer for 5-7 minutes. Add in the chopped bacon and serve!
Serving:
There are several ways to serve this dinner! Serving over my Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes is my favorite!
You can also serve with:
- Mashed Potatoes
- Butternut Squash Mash
- Spaghetti Squash
- Cauliflower Rice
- Brown Rice
- Pasta
Your turn to make Creamy Maple Dijon Chicken!
Let me know how it turns out by rating and leaving a comment below. I love to hear what you think.
Creamy Maple Dijon Chicken with Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 slices of thick bacon
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts or tenders
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 cup sliced leeks
- 12 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 14 oz can coconut milk
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Begin by heating a large skillet to medium high heat. Add bacon once hot, and cook to desired crispiness. I do about 4-5 mins per side. Remove bacon from heat and reserve 1 tbsp of bacon grease.
- Bring skillet back to your burner, add chicken to the pan. Cook each breast 3-4 mins per side (depending on thickness), but do not cook all the way through. Remove chicken from pan, but keep pan hot.
- Add coconut oil to the pan if it’s dry, and then toss in mushrooms and leeks. Saute for 5-6 minutes, or until mushrooms are fragrant and leeks are softened.
- Crumble bacon into small pieces and return to the pan with mushrooms. Add chicken and coconut milk, stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together dijon and maple syrup. Pour mixture into the pan and continue to whisk until well combined.
- Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Serve over potatoes, zoodles, spaghetti squash, or brown rice.
I made this today for lunch. It’s absolutely out of this world! I substituted onions in place of the leeks, and it turned out beautifully. Incidentally, I have NEVER eaten a mushroom….before this dish. Definitely a family favorite already! 🙂
So glad you loved it Amy!! This makes my day 🙂
would it be possible to use refrigerated coconut milk? I need to double the recipe but I only have one can of coconut milk on hand.
Hey Candace, I think you will be fine with just one can even when doubling the recipe. Add some broth if you feel it needs to be more saucy, but the refrigerated coconut milk won’t work as well. Hope you like it!
Do you put in the whole can of coconut milk, or do you skim off the cream that rises to the top? Making it tonight. Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Beth! It depends on how much liquid you want. I used the whole can because I wanted the dish to be extra saucy since my kids were eating it with pasta. You can probably get away with just some coconut milk (or just the fattiest part), especially if you are eating it plain. I hope that helps! And let me know what you think after you try it!
Made it and used the whole can of milk, cream and all. It was SO delicious. Non-paleo hubby loved and ate with rice. Even my 2-year-old enjoyed. I plan to send this link to several friends following a Paleo/AIP diet. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you loved it Beth!! Thank you for your feedback!! And yes, even non-Paleo people really can enjoy this one 🙂
Thanks for your recipe! I made this last night with a couple substitutions because I didn’t have mushrooms or leeks. I used artichoke hearts and zucchini. My family loved it!! I look forward to trying it with the mushrooms and leeks though!! I served it over pasta for my son and mother. My husband and I enjoyed it all by itself!
Thanks Roxann! Love all of your substitutions! Isn’t great that the dish can be so versatile??
I just made this tonight and it was delicious!! We all loved it even our 6 year old. Fabulous recipe! We will DEFINITELY look forward to eating it again 🙂 Thank you!
Thanks Sammi! So glad you loved it!! It’s also a hit with my kids 🙂
Do you think this could be made in the crockpot?
I haven’t tried it like that, but it’s a great idea considering I love to throw everything in my crockpot 🙂 You would still have to cook the bacon separately, but I think it would work!! I’ll try it sometime soon.
I’m wondering if you ever tried it in the crockpot. I love the recipe and would like to make it for a group of 12. Wondering if I precooked most of it, would it be better to finish with the sauce in a crock pot or reheat in the oven. I’m worried that in the crockpot, the sauce might be too runny. Any suggestions for adjusting for a bigger crowd?
I have not, but would love to try it soon! I will keep you posted. I am sure it would work fine, cook on low for 4 hours. Add bacon and coconut milk at the end.
My wife made this the other night and it’s awsome! It’s going in our rotation for sure,we both had it pinned and did not know it..lol
Great!! Glad you loved it! It has since been in our normal rotation too 🙂
Any suggestions on sides to this dish to make it more of a meal?? Sounds delicious!!
Yes, I love this over spaghetti squash with a big salad. It also works great with stuffed sweet potatoes or roasted broccoli.
I made this tonight and it’s delicious! I don’t think you can even taste the maple syrup. It calls for 1 tbsp and I accidentally dumped about 2 in mine! The coconut flavor is more prominent but in a very good, yummy way! Husband and daughter loved it.
Glad you liked it Patty! And yes, I do love the coconut taste too 🙂
This looks delicious!! I would love to make it. Just wondering how you think it would be without the maple syrup. I don’t really care for maple syrup. ???
Hi Carol, I think it would still be great without maple syrup too! If it’s not your thing, feel free to omit it.