This easy 5-ingredient chicken bake topped with crumbled bacon will make a quick weeknight meal.
More About This Recipe
- So what does “smothered” mean in cooking terms, anyway? Smothered cooking refers to a specific technique that originated in Cajun and Creole cuisines in Louisiana. The basic idea is to brown meat—whether it be chicken, pork, steak, etc.—and then, as the name implies, “smother” or cover it in a homemade gravy, served over rice with any combination of sautéed vegetables. If you’ve never made a smothered bake before, then our 5-Ingredient Smothered Chicken Bake is the perfect place to start. This recipe uses a shortcut gravy made from Alfredo sauce, pesto and bacon, which eliminates a lot of fuss and stove time. It’s then baked with chicken breasts and ready to eat in less than an hour! It tastes best served over rice with some veggies. Want more super-easy chicken recipes? We have lots of those, right this way!
5-Ingredient Smothered Chicken Bake
- Prep Time 20 min
- Total 55 min
- Ingredients 6
- Servings 4
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 20 oz)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 cup basil pesto (from 7-oz container)
- 1 jar (15 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce
Instructions
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Step1Heat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate, leaving drippings in skillet.
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Step2In same skillet, cook bell pepper in bacon drippings over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from skillet with slotted spoon to medium bowl.
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Step3Sprinkle chicken breasts with pepper. In same skillet, cook chicken breasts in bacon drippings over medium-high heat 2 to 4 minutes, turning once, until brown. Place chicken breasts in ungreased 11 x 7-inch (2-quart) baking dish.
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Step4In medium bowl, stir bell pepper, pesto and Alfredo sauce until well blended. Pour over chicken. Cover with foil.
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Step5Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F). Sprinkle with chopped bacon.
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Nutrition
650
Calories
48g
Total Fat
41g
Protein
12g
Total Carbohydrate
3g
Sugars
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories
- 650
- Calories from Fat
- 440
- Total Fat
- 48g
- 74%
- Saturated Fat
- 24g
- 121%
- Trans Fat
- 1 1/2g
- Cholesterol
- 200mg
- 67%
- Sodium
- 750mg
- 31%
- Potassium
- 470mg
- 13%
- Total Carbohydrate
- 12g
- 4%
- Dietary Fiber
- 1g
- 5%
- Sugars
- 3g
- Protein
- 41g
% Daily Value*:
- Vitamin A
- 50%
- 50%
- Vitamin C
- 40%
- 40%
- Calcium
- 25%
- 25%
- Iron
- 10%
- 10%
Exchanges:
1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 1 Vegetable; 5 1/2 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 9 Fat;Carbohydrate Choice
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