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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Square image of hunters chicken in a baking dish next to side dishes of mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans.
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5 from 29 votes

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!
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.

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

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.

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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

  4. 5 stars
    Easy recipe , enjoyed it … thank you . Used Heinz BBQ sauce .
    Served it with salad and home made sweet potato wedges .
    Very nice .

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Just a question, when you say preheat the oven at 400F do you mean preheating it in the broil setting or bake setting? Thank you

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Amazing.
    Had this with the wedges from the Cajun cod recipe and it went down a treat.
    Have made several things from this site and the new book and everything has been so tasty.

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    I only came across this site because I googled “Hunter’s chicken recipe” and I have to say it was absolutely delicious, I made it with your BBQ sauce and it was without shadow of a doubt the best Hunter’s chicken I’ve ever tasted. I’m looking forward to exploring the rest of the site now.

    Reply

  8. 5 stars
    This was so easy to make and delicious. We have veggie in the family, so I baked mushrooms for her instead on chicken. We like things spicy, so I added some garlic, ginger and chilli to the BBQ sauce.

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    Very tasty indeed..a quick and easy meal too. I used a ready made barbeque sauce being a lazy bones 😁

    Reply