Bacon-wrapped chicken thighs made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, seasoned with a honey, lime and garlic seasoning mix, then wrapped in bacon and cooked until crispy outside and tender and juicy inside. These chicken thighs are always a hit and are great both for casual dinners and parties or even fancy dinners. They are very easy and quick to make, yet they taste amazingly good.
How to make bacon-wrapped chicken thighs?
The basic process for making bacon-wrapped chicken thighs involves three easy steps:
Best ways to cook bacon-wrapped chicken thighs
The challenge with cooking bacon-wrapped meat is that the bacon when in contact with cold, moist meat doesn’t brown easily. Therefore, I find that cooking bacon-wrapped meats at very high temperatures is the best way. When bacon comes in contact with a hot surface, it renders fat and browns even faster. Based on my experiments, here are some great ways to cook bacon wrapped chicken thighs to get excellent and tasty results.
Grilling. Grilling is a great way to cook bacon wrapped chicken. Here you have a hot surface and a high temperature to help render bacon fat quickly and caramelize the surface. By the time the bacon is nice and crispy, the meat inside will be perfectly cooked and moist. Cook the thighs at about 350F-400F over direct heat for about 20-30 minutes, turning frequently until the internal temperature reaches at least 165F. I like mine a little more well-done, to about 175F – 185F. Air frying. Air frying is another excellent way to cook bacon wrapped chicken thighs. It produces results similar to grilling. You get a grill-like aroma and the bacon will be nicely crisped up by the time the meat is fully cooked. For indoor cooking, this is my preferred cooking method as it’s quick, easy and not messy. Air frying will take about 25-30 minutes, with 2 flips during cooking. Baking. Baking can be a good way to cook bacon wrapped chicken thighs too, if you add a couple of additional steps. Plain baking will result in pale, rubbery bacon by the time the chicken is cooked through. Therefore, you need to find a way to crisp it up. One way is to quickly pan-sear bacon-wrapped thighs before baking, as described in this bacon-wrapped chicken breast recipe. This is my preferred way as it gives the best control over the final temperature and results in an evenly crisped up surface. Alternatively, you can bake the thighs until done, or almost done, then broil them to get some browning going. The browning may not be quite even and you will need to pay close attention as broiling can very quickly take bacon from nicely browned to burnt. Baking will take about 30-35 minutes at 400F including searing or broiling.
Recommended side dishes for bacon-wrapped chicken thighs
Rice is a very good choice to serve with these chicken thighs, and so are roasted or stir-fried vegetables. If you are looking for a more comforting side dish, try these garlic mashed potatoes, they are a great match. For a lighter meal, go with this Italian style tomato and cucumber salad. Looking for more great chicken thigh recipes? Check these out:
Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs Extra Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken Thighs Killer Marinated Chicken Thighs Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
Equipment used to cook chicken thighs shown on the pictures above: Chefman 6.8 Quart Air Fryer.
