Creamy Chicken BLT Skillet
Is anything ever mediocre with bacon in it? This dish is incredibly decedent. Rich and creamy, and full of salty goodness. And the fresh tomatoes give the loveliest pop of freshness. Everything is perfect.
I used dairy free ingredients and wouldn't tweak a bit. But if you're not df, go ahead and use the real thing. I'm positive you won't be disappointed.
What you'll need: Serves 4
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1-2 pounds)
8 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
For the sauce:
8 oz cream cheese (use Kite Hill for dairy free)
2 cups milk (dairy free: coconut milk or plain unsweetened almond milk)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast *optional
4 cups baby spinach
10 oz pkg grape tomatoes halved
salt and pepper to taste
How to make it:
Heat a large deep skillet or braiser over medium high heat. Chop the raw bacon into 1 inch bits for easier and faster cooking. Cook the bacon until crispy, then remove it from the skillet to drain on paper towels. Reserve about 2 TBL bacon fat to cook the chicken and discard any remaining fat.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. To a large mixing bowl, mix cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, mustard and nutritional yeast and set aside. It can remain a little lumpy. It'll smooth out when it cooks down. The nutritional yeast gives it a little cheesy flavor without adding cheese. Feel free to skip it, or add a little fresh parmesan if you wish.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the bacon grease skillet and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side, or until the outside is golden brown and inside is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate, cover and keep warm. As it rests, it will continue to cook slightly so be sure not to overcook it.
Add the chopped onion to the skillet; cook for 3 mins or so until soft. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour in the cream cheese mixture and slowly stir to combine while it comes to a simmer. Scrape up all those heavenly brown bits on the bottom of the pan from the bacon. Those cream cheese lumps will begin to soften and melt.
Stir in the spinach and 1/2 of the tomatoes and cook for another minute until the spinach wilts and is bright green, then remove from heat.
If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of milk.
Add the chicken and all the plate-juices into the skillet. Sprinkle with the remaining tomatoes and crumbled bacon.
Serve hot and enjoy!