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    Home > British Classic Recipes

    Hunters Chicken

    Published: Mar 25, 2021 · Modified: Oct 22, 2021 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Go to Video Print Recipe

    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:
    • 📋 What do we need?
    • 📺 Watch how to make it
    • 🍽️ What to serve it with
    • 🍲 More fantastic Chicken Dinner recipes
    • Hunters Chicken
    • 💬 Reviews

    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:

    • Crispy Oven-Baked Chips
    • Creamy Mashed Potato
    • Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
    • Butter-Pepper Carrots
    • Crispy Saute Potatoes

    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

    • Chicken Parmesan
    • Chicken ala King
    • Creamy Tuscan Chicken
    • Creamy Chicken and Potato Bake
    • Creamy Chicken Pot Pie
    • 30 Minute One Pot Chicken & Pasta

    Stay updated with new recipes!
    Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos).

    Square image of hunters chicken in a baking dish next to side dishes of mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans.

    Hunters Chicken

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    Chicken breast, wrapped in bacon, smothered in barbecue sauce and topped with melted cheese. A British pub classic, easy to make at home!
    5 from 25 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 35 mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine American, British
    Servings 4
    Calories 621 kcal

    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 (½ packed cup) grated/shredded mature cheddar cheese
    • 50 g (½ 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.
    • Wrap each chicken breast in two rashers/strips of bacon and place in a shallow baking dish.
    • 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.
    • Sprinkle the chicken with the cheddar and mozzarella.
    • Place back in the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
    • Serve the chicken with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

    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: 621kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 58gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 188mgSodium: 993mgPotassium: 1147mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 680IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 192mgIron: 2mg
    Keywords baked fries, One Pan, pub food
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    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.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and 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.

    Read More
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    Reader Interactions

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    1. raymond says

      February 23, 2022 at 3:55 pm

      5 stars
      delicious , substituted bbq sauce with sweet chilli sauce

      Reply
    2. Sandra says

      February 20, 2022 at 7:48 pm

      5 stars
      Very easy to make and very tasty too including the BBQ sauce, would definitely do this recipe again.

      Reply
    3. Clare Christina says

      December 06, 2021 at 2:16 pm

      5 stars
      Simple, delicious and satisfying. I served mine with the garlic buttered green beans 😋

      Reply
    4. Lisa says

      September 23, 2021 at 10:08 pm

      5 stars
      Easy recipe quick mid week meal everyone loved the homemade bbq sauce

      Reply
    5. Lisa Beddowes says

      September 12, 2021 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Nicky,
      Made hunters chicken today for the first time using your method.
      We are just plain and simple eaters in our house and making hunters chicken by your method was so easy and not having to use ‘fancy cheeses’ was a bonus. Will definitely look at some of your other recipes for inspiration. Thank you.

      Reply
    6. carol says

      July 13, 2021 at 2:33 pm

      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

      Reply
    7. Pat lewis says

      June 24, 2021 at 1:57 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing hunters chicken and so easy

      Reply
    8. Tereaa Baker-Clark says

      May 13, 2021 at 6:23 am

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

      Reply
    9. Lara Templin says

      May 12, 2021 at 8:32 am

      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.

      Reply
    10. Sadie Fletcher says

      May 08, 2021 at 4:41 pm

      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!

      Reply
    11. Rebekah says

      April 17, 2021 at 6:27 pm

      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.

      Reply
    12. Nigey boy says

      March 27, 2021 at 7:52 pm

      5 stars
      Just had this tonight,awesome ,defo make it again

      Reply
    13. Lavina says

      March 25, 2021 at 4:42 pm

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

      Reply
    14. Roger Kille says

      March 25, 2021 at 4:25 pm

      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"?! 😉

      Reply
    15. [email protected] says

      March 25, 2021 at 3:30 pm

      5 stars
      This looks and sounds delicious.

      Reply
    Newer Comments »

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    Hi I’m Nicky

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