Hunter's Chicken on a slate board

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This hunter’s chicken is the ultimate pub grub. No airs, no graces, just ridiculously comforting, uncomplicated deliciousness! Oozing with cheese and BBQ sauce, you need only 4 ingredients to make this simple dish.

If you’re here looking for the French classic, Chicken Chasseur (translated as Hunter’s Chicken), then you might want to head over to this slow cooker chicken chasseur recipe.

What is it?

It really is comfort food at it’s best – very few ingredients, simple ingredients, quick and cheesy!

This is a super simple dish that you’ll often find in British pubs. It may also go by the name of ‘smothered chicken’ or ‘BBQ chicken’.

Can I freeze it?

You can freeze this hunter’s chicken for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly before reheating. Reheat in the microwave or oven until piping hot throughout. For best results use the oven, as it will help keep the bacon a little crisper.

You can also cool leftovers and keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days before reheating.

What can you serve it with?

I think this is best served with a generous portion of carbs and some veg. My recommendations would include chips, potato wedges or roast potatoes. For the veg, a simple salad works well, as does some steamed greens such as broccoli, or some roasted carrots.

These recipes are all great accompaniments:

Hunters chicken in a baking dish

What substitutions can I make?

While streaky bacon adds extra juiciness to this recipe, you can definitely use back bacon instead. In the UK back bacon is ‘standard’ bacon (while in the US streaky bacon reigns supreme). Substitute one piece of back bacon for 2 pieces of streaky bacon. If you do use back bacon then grease the baking tray a little before putting in the oven as it has a lower fat content and will be more prone to sticking.

For the BBQ sauce, you can use any variety that you prefer. I wouldn’t recommend substituting this for another sauce (such as ketchup) because it’s the innate smokiness of the BBQ sauce combined with the creamy cheese that makes this recipe so awesome.

I like to use mature cheddar, but you can substitute this for mild cheddar, mozzarella, Red Leicester, Monterey Jack… basically any gratable, meltable cheese that takes your fancy. You can also use a combination of cheeses.

Ingredients

You’ll need a few simple ingredients for this hunter’s chicken recipe. For a full list of ingredients with measurements jump to the printable recipe card.

Hunter's Chicken ingredients
  • Boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • Streaky bacon
  • BBQ Sauce
  • Cheddar cheese – ideally grated yourself at home, as pre-grated cheeses contain additives to stop them clumping together, which also makes them less easy to melt.

How to make it

  • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
  • Wrap the bacon around the chicken breast evenly. Place on a baking tray and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes remove the baking tray from the oven. If you want your bacon a bit crispier then you can put it under the grill/broiler for an extra few minutes (completely optional). Smother the BBQ sauce over the chicken and then top with the cheese. Place back in the oven for an extra 3-4 minutes until the cheese has melted.

If you are on the lookout for more great comfort food then you might also want to try these sweet potato dirty fries, these lamb mince stuffed aubergines or this individual shepherd’s pie.

Products that work well for this recipe

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Hunter's Chicken on a slate board

Hunter’s Chicken


  • Author: caroline
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 1 1x

Description

This Hunter’s Chicken is pub grub at it’s best – simple, easy and oozing with smoky BBQ sauce and cheese. Great for lazy weekends or a quick pick-me-up.

The default recipe serves one. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 skinless, boneless chicken breast
  • 2 tbsp bbq sauce
  • 2 rashers streaky bacon
  • 15g / 1/3 cup grated cheddar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F
  2. Wrap the chicken in the bacon and place on a baking tray in the oven for 20 minutes. At the end of the cooking time you can place it under the grill/broiler for an additional few minutes to make the bacon super crispy if you prefer (totally optional)
  3. Smother the BBQ sauce over the chicken and then top with the cheese. Place back in the oven for around 3-4 minutes until the cheese has melted. 

Notes

  1. You can use back bacon if you prefer, use one piece for every 2 pieces of streaky bacon and grease the baking tray slightly before placing the chicken in the oven as the lower fat content makes it more prone to sticking.
  2. You can swap the cheddar cheese for any variety you prefer – as long as it grates well and melts. Mozzarella, Monterey Jack or Red Leicestershire are good options. 
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: British

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 450
  • Fat: 22g
  • Carbohydrates: 15g
  • Protein: 45g

Keywords: british, chicken, comfort food, dinner, cheese, easy, simple

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