This easy chicken tapenade features juicy pan-seared boneless, skinless chicken breasts topped with a bold sauce of bacon, capers, olives, lemon, and butter. It’s a simple one-pan entree ready in about 30 minutes, with standout flavor — ideal for low-carb and keto diets.
THIS POST INCLUDES AFFILIATE LINKS TO SHARE THE THINGS I LOVE.
While I’m a devoted steak fan, chicken is what I cook most at home. Its mild flavor pairs easily with many seasonings and sauces and it works with any low-carb vegetable. You can prepare chicken many ways — grilled, roasted, poached, baked, fried, or sautéed — but pan-searing is one of the quickest methods and gives a great crust on the outside while keeping the meat tender.
This chicken tapenade delivers a pleasing, slightly tangy flavor profile. Tapenade traditionally combines chopped olives, garlic, capers, herbs, an acid, and olive oil; it can be chunky or smooth. This version adds smoky bacon and is left a little chunky so each ingredient shows against the chicken. A splash of wine, a touch of cream and butter, and fresh lemon juice create a glossy, flavorful sauce that finishes the dish.
Tapenade with Bacon
I developed this tapenade while testing recipes for a client and liked it so much I kept it. It’s versatile and pairs well with chicken, pork, or fish. The smoky bacon complements the briny capers and olives, and the lemon brightens the sauce.
How to Make Chicken Tapenade
The recipe begins by cooking cubed bacon to render fat and build flavor. After removing the crisp bacon, boneless, skinless chicken breasts are seared in the same pan until nicely browned. A quick pan sauce made with shallots, white wine, a little cream, water, butter, and lemon juice is reduced until glossy. Finally, capers, chopped olives, parsley, and the reserved bacon are added and warmed through, then spooned over the chicken for a restaurant-quality finish.
Conclusion
This chicken tapenade is an excellent weeknight dinner: bacon cooks first while you prep, the chicken sears quickly, and the sauce comes together in minutes. The whole meal can be on the table in about 20–30 minutes, with bold flavor and minimal fuss. Serves four with about 2 g net carbs per serving.
Chicken Tapenade with Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless-skinless chicken breasts
- 2 slices bacon, cubed
- ¼ cup shallot, sliced
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon capers, not rinsed
- 5 small green olives chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparation:
-
Let the chicken breasts or cutlets come to room temperature for 30 minutes.
-
Pound the cutlets to an even thickness so they cook uniformly.
-
Pat the chicken dry, rub all surfaces with 1 tablespoon of oil, then season both sides with salt and pepper.
-
Slice the bacon into ¼–½ inch squares.
Bacon:
-
Heat a frying pan over medium heat (avoid cast iron to prevent graying the sauce) and add the bacon. Stir after two minutes and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon and reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan; add a little olive oil if the bacon was very lean.
Chicken:
-
Add the chicken to the pan so pieces are not touching. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the chicken turns white halfway up the thickest part. Flip and cook another 4 minutes, or until the chicken is firm to the touch or reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Sauce:
-
Add the shallots to the pan, reduce heat to medium-low, and sauté about 1½ minutes. Remove the pan from heat and add the wine. Return the pan to medium heat and scrape up any browned bits. Reduce until roughly 1 tablespoon of wine remains, then add the cream and water and stir. Add the butter, lemon juice, and any accumulated chicken juices, bringing the sauce to a gentle simmer until it becomes glossy and slightly reduced. Stir in the capers, bacon, olives, and parsley and heat through.
-
Serve: Place chicken on individual plates and spoon the tapenade sauce over each portion.
-
Serves 4 at about 2 g carbs per serving.
Notes
Calories from Fat 198