Baked Chicken with Bacon-Tomato Relish

Total Time

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Makes

4 servings

Updated: Apr. 24, 2022
We eat a lot of chicken for dinner, so I'm always trying to do something a little different with it. My children love the crispiness of this chicken, and my husband and I love the flavorful relish—you can't go wrong with bacon! —Elisabeth Larsen, Pleasant Grove, Utah
Baked Chicken with Bacon-Tomato Relish Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 pound chicken tenderloins
  • 4 bacon strips, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°. In a shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, 2 Tbsp. thyme, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Place flour and egg in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in flour; shake off excess. Dip in egg, then in crumb mixture, patting to help coating adhere. Place chicken on a greased rack in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until a thermometer reads 165°, about 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings in pan; discard remaining drippings.
  3. Add tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and remaining salt and pepper to drippings; cook and stir until tomatoes are tender, 2-3 minutes. Stir in bacon and remaining thyme. Serve with chicken.

Test Kitchen tips
  • Using chicken tenders instead of chicken breast halves speeds along the bake time to make this a quick dinner.
  • Baking on a rack will help the coating on the underside of the chicken stay crunchy, but it isn't a must if you don't have a rack that fits into the pan.
  • Nutrition Facts

    2 chicken tenders with 1/4 cup relish: 326 calories, 13g fat (4g saturated fat), 95mg cholesterol, 602mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 2g fiber), 34g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean meat, 2 fat, 1 starch.