Creamy Whole30 Bacon Mushroom Chicken over Cauliflower Rice

I haven't made a meal with mushrooms or bacon in way too long! If you are a fan of a creamy mushroom meal then you will definitely enjoy this one. The recipe below is my version for 6 servings, but the original recipe link below has the feature where you can adjust serving size, which will then adjust the ingredient amounts for you. As for this recipe, I picked up some Wellshire Sugar-Free Bacon from Whole Foods, used chicken breasts instead of thighs, and used Native Forest Organic Light Coconut Milk; however, I recommend using the classic full-fat coconut milk if you are making this recipe. Since I used chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces, I just left everything on the stove top and did not cook in the oven at all. While the chicken was cooking I heated up a few bags of Green Giant Riced Cauliflower on the stove top as well. I went super plain with the cauliflower rice again because the meal had plenty of sauce. I promise I'll make a more flavorful cauliflower rice soon! Anyways, overall this was an extremely simple recipe for meal prep and it turned out tasting so yummy!

Creamy Whole30 Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs
Ingredients:

• 6 slices bacon diced (no sugar added)
• 6 bone-in chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts instead)
• salt and freshly cracked pepper
• 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 8-12 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1.5 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large oven-proof skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp and fat is rendered. Transfer cooked bacon to a plate and pour out all but 1-2 tablespoons bacon grease. Increase heat to medium-high.
3. Season both sides of chicken thighs generously with salt, freshly ground pepper, and Italian seasoning. Carefully place chicken thighs in the skillet skin-side down, taking care to place them so they will cook evenly without having to move them. Cook for about 7 minutes or until skin side is nicely and evenly browned and releases easily from the pan. If the skin sticks, continue cooking until skin releases easily. Flip chicken thighs over.
4. Transfer skillet to oven and cook for 13 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160º F. Carefully transfer chicken thighs to another plate and place skillet on stovetop. Take special care to always, always use a pot holder from this step forward; the handle will stay very hot.
5. Add sliced mushrooms and cook on medium high heat for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown and a bit softened, stirring only once midway. Add garlic and, stirring constantly, sauté about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant.
6. Add coconut milk, salt, and sprigs of fresh thyme to the skillet. Increase heat and bring to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 2-4 minutes, until flavors are blended and sauce is reduced a bit.
7. Add bacon and stir. Taste sauce and add more salt and pepper as desired. Return chicken thighs to skillet and coat with sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice and some leafy greens.

Original recipe found here