Hunters Chicken is THE perfect midweek meal. It requires minimal prep and is ready in around 30mins. Plus, it never fails on flavour. Follow me…
Hunters Chicken Ingredients
At its heart, this recipe only requires 4 main ingredients. I like to add a couple of additions, but they’re not deal breakers. Here’s what you’ll need:
Chicken – boneless skinless chicken breasts. BBQ Sauce – try and grab a good quality sauce as it makes up a big bulk of the recipe. Cheese – cheddar is traditional and typically what I use. Bacon – streaky bacon, smoked or unsmoked. Seasoning – I like to season the chicken in smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. You can get away with salt and black pepper though if that’s what you have on hand. Chives – to garnish, for an extra pop of colour and flavour.
Can I use a different cheese?
I sometimes sneak in some mozzarella with the cheddar, which works great. You can use all mozzarella, it’ll just lack slightly in flavour. Monterey Jack works nicely, as does Red Leicester.
Preparing Hunters Chicken
Typically hunters chicken is layered as chicken topped with bacon, then BBQ sauce then cheese. It does the trick, but I find wrapping the chicken in bacon gives you a far better result. This not only helps keep the chicken from drying out, but it also brings the dish together a bit more, instead of the toppings just sliding off a plain chicken breast. When wrapping the chicken, just make sure the end of each bacon strip is tucked underneath the chicken. Just to ensure it doesn’t unravel in the oven. You can make Hunters Chicken in a large cast-iron skillet or a shallow baking dish. Process shots: sprinkle seasoning over both sides of the chicken (photo 1), wrap in bacon (photo 2), add to skillet or baking dish (photo 3), bake until the chicken is cooked (photo 4).
Making Hunters Chicken
So after you’ve baked the chicken you’ve essentially got yourself chicken wrapped in bacon, which ain’t all that bad. But a Hunters Chicken ain’t a Hunters Chicken without the BBQ sauce and cheese. Once you’ve smothered the chicken in sauce and cheese, I recommend popping it under the grill to melt the cheese. You could place it back in the oven and melt it that way, but you run the risk of the chicken overcooking by the time the cheese melts.
Can you make Hunters Chicken ahead of time?
I don’t recommend fully making it and reheating, just because the chicken won’t be as juicy. If you want to get ahead of the game I’d recommend just seasoning and wrapping the chicken, then tightly storing it in the fridge until needed.
Serving Hunters Chicken
Once the cheese has melted, I like to finish with some fresh chives. I recommend adding these if you have them, just because they add a final pop of flavour. But I wouldn’t make a special trip to the shop just solely for them.
What to serve with Hunters Chicken
Here’s a few ideas for you:
Fries or Wedges and Coleslaw Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Mash and Peas
For another delicious chicken wrapped in bacon recipe check out my Spinach Artichoke Chicken Wrapped in Bacon! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this Hunters Chicken shall we?!
How to make Hunters Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)
For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
Classic British Dinners
Toad in the Hole Coronation Chicken Curry Cottage Pie (or Shepherd’s Pie) Giant Pigs in Blankets Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Pie
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