This One-Pan Spiced Chicken with Apples, Bacon, and Onions is sweet and smoky, tender, and juicy! An easy Paleo chicken breast recipe, perfect for a fall harvest-time dinner.

Close up view of a chicken breast with bacon and apples

It's apple season, once again! Apple pie, apple crisp, apple muffins, spiced applesauce cake, apple bread. . . the list goes on. So today, I'm adding to that list of apple recipes we love to make again and again with this Spiced Chicken with Apples and Bacon.

One Pan Spiced Apple Chicken with Bacon in a cast iron skillet

This spiced chicken with apples and bacon is a one-pan dish!

Minimal clean-up. Maximum flavour. Who doesn't love one-pan meals? I make this Sheet Pan Chicken and Roasted Harvest Vegetables on repeat in the fall and winter.

Today, however, this new one-pan chicken dish was on my menu! My recipe for Harvest Chicken with Bacon and Rosemary has similar flavours, but this fall chicken dish is a little different.

Juicy chicken, smoky bacon, and sweet apples, all on a bed of tender onions--this is my way of saying, "Hello Fall!" (despite the fact that I'm not ready to let go of summer.)

This is a harvest-time meal packed full of interesting subtle flavours and textures. Made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, it cooks up quickly.

Two cooked chicken breasts in a cast iron skillet with sliced apples and bacon

🔪 Instructions

Here's a quick overview of the steps in this recipe for Spiced Apple Chicken Breasts. Complete instructions are in the recipe card below.

Start by sizzling thick-cut bacon in a skillet.
Season the chicken breasts with a tiny bit of allspice and turmeric.
Brown the chicken, then remove it from the pan while you cook the onions and apples.
Next, add the chicken back to the pan, stir in a little lemon, honey, and chicken broth.
And finally, cover and cook until tender.

Allspice and Turmeric add hints of fall!

Allspice is an ingredient I don't use often. I think in the hundreds of recipes here on the blog, I've only used it a handful of times, in this recipe for Mulled Cinnamon-Orange Pears with Mascarpone and, of course, in this Simmering Holiday Potpourri that I make at Christmas time.

But using it in a savoury dish was new to me. Allspice and turmeric add subtle hints of warm fall spices, not enough to dominate, but just enough to enhance.

I found this recipe in an old Food Network magazine. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe exactly as written. Denis and I both agreed while it was good, it could use some upgrades!

I adapted the recipe by adding bacon for the smoky flavour to contrast with the sweet apples, by reducing the amount of chicken broth to make a more reduced sauce, and by tossing in a little fresh rosemary to give the dish a wonderful aroma. So much better!

close up view of two cooked chicken breasts in a skillet with apples and bacon

🍽 Serving suggestions

Serve this flavourful chicken dish with vegetables like kale, broccoli, or green beans. Try any of these favourites:

Skillet Parmesan Pecan Green Beans

Crispy Lemon Oven-Roasted Potatoes

Apple Cider Roasted Root Vegetables

Maple Dijon Roasted Butternut Squash

And welcome Fall and all the wonderful flavours it brings!

How to remove turmeric stains

Turmeric will stain! It will stain your cutting board, laminate countertops, your blender, or even your fingers! I’ve found rubbing the area with a small amount of vegetable oil, followed by a general scrub with your usual cleanser will remove the stain.

📖 Recipe

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