Chicken in Creamy Carrot Sauce

If you didn’t notice (which you probably did), we eat a lot of chicken in our house. We also eat a lot of dishes with cream cheese in them (I know, shocker!). And I don’t make a secret of my love for bacon, either. So when you add those three elements together, what do you get? My new favorite way to cook chicken ever. Like, EVER ever.

This dish has a really awesome flavor profile: sweet carrots, tangy cream cheese, salty bacon. We all absolutely loved this, and I’ll definitely be making it over and over again. My sauce didn’t get as thick as I would have liked, so I’ve adjusted for that in the recipe below.

I served this over brown rice, but it would be great on top of mashed potatoes too. I really can’t say enough about how good this chicken is. I can’t wait to have this again!

Chicken in Creamy Carrot Sauce
source: adapted from Kraft Foods

6 slices bacon, chopped
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt, black pepper and garlic powder to taste

1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cans sliced carrots, drained
1 14.5-ounce can chicken broth, divided
8 ounces cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, cubed

1. Cook and stir bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet; drain on paper towels. Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add chicken to bacon drippings and cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until browned; cover. Cook 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to plate and cover to keep warm.

2. Let butter melt in skillet, then add onions; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in carrots and 3/4 cup broth; cover. Simmer 5 minutes. Set aside 1/2 cup vegetables and allow the liquid to drain from them.

3. Place remaining broth, reserved 1/2 cup vegetables and cream cheese in blender; blend until smooth. Add sauce and chicken to vegetables in skillet; cover. Cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Spoon chicken onto serving plate; top with sauce and bacon.