Ingredients:

2 pounds of chicken thighs or breasts (your preference)

12 slices of bacon

12 ounces of cream cheese

¼ cup mayonnaise

6 ounces cheddar cheese (shredded)

4 ounces mozzarella cheese (shredded)

½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

Garlic Salt

Coarse Ground Pepper

Parsley

Disposable pan (for easy clean up)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. If using chicken thighs, de-bone them before cooking.  I use kitchen scissors to carefully cut the bone away.. Whether using chicken breasts or thighs, season them with garlic salt, coarse ground pepper, and parsley (those of you who love chicken skin will be thanking me later). Cook the chicken on a baking sheet for 40 minutes in the oven. At the 20 minute mark, you will want to cut up the 12 slices of bacon and cook them in a pan until browned. Once browned, remove the bacon from the pan and drain off the excess grease. On low heat, add the bacon back in the pan with the mayonnaise and cream cheese (life hack: cut the cream cheese into small blocks before throwing them into he fry pan, this way it melts easier) and Franks Red Hot. Mix thoroughly on low for a few more minutes and remove from heat. When the chicken is done cooking remove from the oven and let it sit briefly.  At this point I like to remove the crispy skin (if using thighs) and put it to the side.   Next you want to lay your chicken evenly into a square casserole dish or a disposable tin plan, then add the mixture on top of it (making sure to get in on all the chicken. You will then sprinkle on the cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  If you kept the skins, just lay them on top to get a bit crispier (or if you’re like me, I’ve eaten them before I could get to this step…no judgement LOLBake for an additional 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then under the broiler on low for 3-5 minutes.  The broiler is optional, but adds a nice finishing touch to this dish. Once out of the oven let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!!!

Side note:

I like to add a little extra bacon on top after I apply the cheese, so I usually cook a few extra slices in the beginning and crush them up in a small ziplock bag when they’ve cooled but this is not required.

Also, don’t go too crazy with the cheddar cheese as I made this mistake once and it turned this tasty dish into soup….YUCK!!!

This dish pairs nicely with a cauliflower rice for side.  For a quick fix I use the Green Giant Steamable’s or if you have a little extra time you can make it from scratch.

Buon Appetito!

-Elisa xoxo