Chicken breast, wrapped in bacon, smothered in tangy barbecue sauce and topped with melted cheese. A British pub classic that you can easily make at home for a quick weeknight dinner.
No pans are needed – we cook it all right in the baking dish.
Use shop-bought barbecue sauce, or you can make my 10 minute homemade BBQ sauce.

Hunters chicken (chicken wrapped in bacon with bbq sauce and cheddar) in a baking dish. Side dishes of carrots, green beans and mashed potatoes just in shot.

Jump to:

Sitting in a pub garden on a hot day eating Hunters chicken with a pile of salty chips and a cold beer.
I can’t wait for those days. Hopefully soon we can all be enjoying family meals out again.

In the meantime, I’m controlling the cravings by making it at home. Sometimes with chips, or sometimes with a big bowl of buttery mashed potato.

I love how quick and easy this recipe is – a few minutes of prep, then the oven does all the work.

📋 What do we need?

Ingredients for Hunters chicken on a wooden table
  • Chicken – chicken breasts are best, as thighs are a little small. Be sure to trip the chicken breast of any fatty bits you don’t want to eat.
  • BBQ sauce – you can use homemade BBQ sauce or store-bought.
  • Bacon – use rindless streaky bacon – these thin strips are best for wrapping around the chicken
  • Cheese – I use a mixture of grated mozzarella (gives a nice stretch) and strong cheddar (for flavour).

📺 Watch how to make it

**Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.**

👩‍🍳PRO TIP If you’re using shop-bought BBQ sauce you can pep it up with a little honey, smoked paprika and/or chilli powder for a sweet, smoky or spicy version (you could use one, two or all three if you like!).

🍽️ What to serve it with

You can serve this Hunters Chicken Recipe with:


Just 5 ingredients and 30 minutes you’ve got a family-pleasing dinner on the table.

Hunters chicken (chicken with bacon, bbq sauce and cheese) in a baking tin on a dark surface. Side dishes of carrots and mashed potatoes are nearby.

Also, if you’ve never tried it, a hunters chicken wrap is a real crowd please too!
To make this, cut the cooked hunters chicken into slices and serve hot in tortilla wraps or soft flatbreads with crispy lettuce and red onion 👌


🍲 More fantastic Chicken Dinner recipes

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5 from 29 votes

Hunters Chicken

Chicken breast, wrapped in bacon, smothered in barbecue sauce and topped with melted cheese. A British pub classic, easy to make at home!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, British

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 8 rashers/strips streaky bacon smoked or unsmoked – your preference
  • 240 ml (1 cup) BBQ sauce Use good quality store-bought, or my quick homemade BBQ sauce (I used homemade).

Also:

  • 50 g (1/2 packed cup) grated/shredded mature cheddar cheese
  • 50 g (1/2 packed cup) grated/shredded mozzarella cheese

To serve:

  • chips or mashed potatoes
  • veggies such as carrots, green beans or broccoli

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan).
  • Wrap each chicken breast in two rashers/strips of bacon and place in a shallow baking dish.
    4 chicken breasts, 8 rashers/strips streaky bacon
  • Place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes – until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
  • Remove the dish with the chicken from the oven. Spoon the BBQ sauce on and around the chicken.
    240 ml (1 cup) BBQ sauce
  • Sprinkle the chicken with the cheddar and mozzarella.
    50 g (1/2 packed cup) grated/shredded mature cheddar cheese, 50 g (1/2 packed cup) grated/shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Place back in the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
  • Serve the chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
    chips or mashed potatoes, veggies

Video

Notes

Can I make it ahead?
It tastes best right out of the oven – that’s when the cheese and is nice and melty and the chicken is lovely and tender.
If you did want to make it ahead though, you can cook the chicken-wrapped-in-bacon (don’t add the sauce or cheese), then allow the dish to cool (try to do this quickly, in a cool room, so it’s only out for 15 or 20 minutes). At this point you can add the sauce and cheese then cover and refrigerate for a day.
Remove from the fridge an hour before you want to re-heat it to take the chill off, then reheat, covered, in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at 200C/400F – until the chicken is piping hot throughout. 
Ingredient swaps
Swap out the cheddar and mozzarella combination for your favourite cheese. Some good options are:
    • Crumbled Lancashire, Cheshire or Wensleydale for a bit of tangy-ness
    • Gouda or Gruyere for a slight nutty flavour
    • Crumbled Stilton if you’re a blue-cheese lover
Nutritional information is per serving, NOT including side dishes of potatoes or vegetables.

Nutrition

Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 58g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 188mg | Sodium: 993mg | Potassium: 1147mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 680IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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Comments

  1. Hi nick can you give me some idea for pork chop my husband said pork chops are to dry so I need to now what sort of sauce so they are not dry please help

  2. 5 stars
    Thanks Nicky I hate cooking and this recipe is so quick and easy I’m looking forward to trying it.

  3. 5 stars
    My son made this for me for Mother’s Day dinner (along with the green beans with garlic and parmesan) and it was fantastic! Thank you for another lovely recipe.

  4. 5 stars
    OMG 🤩
    This is the best Hunters chicken ever!! It is so well balanced – a little bit sweet, then a little bit tart, then a little bit smoky ….. we ended up eating the whole pot of sauce (just the 2 of us!!)
    Probably one of our favourite homemade meals in 35 years together ….
    We’re massive foodies and always cook and eat from scratch so if we are recommending something, you can be sure we are impressed!

  5. 5 stars
    I have made Hunter’s chicken before but this is my favorite recipe. The chicken was tender and their wasn’t too much sauce. Easy to make too. Thank you.

  6. 5 stars
    This looks and sounds so good Nicky! Chicken, bacon, and BBQ sauce is such a winning flavor combo! Love it.

  7. 5 stars
    Hi Nicky, looks good and will give this a go seeing as all your recipies work as they should!
    Small typo – “Be sure to trip the chicken breast of any fatty bits you don’t want to eat”. I think that might possibly be “trim”?! 😉