Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs (Air Fryer) keto 4 ingredient dinner

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For a really quick and easy keto dinner, try these bacon wrapped chicken thighs made in the air fryer. You only need 4 ingredients to make this low carb high protein chicken dinner and it’s so tasty the whole family will love it! Just 237 calories, 18.3 grams protein and 2.3 grams net carbs per serving.

You might also like these keto bacon wrapped chicken breasts!

A white plate with a piece of bacon wrapped chicken thighs that were made in the air fryer. — *This post contains affiliate links. For more information visit our policies page.*

The more I use the air fryer the more it’s becoming my favorite kitchen appliance. Take these keto bacon wrapped chicken thighs for instance. When you make them in the air fryer these stuffed chicken thighs the bacon get’s so nice and crispy and it takes only 25 minutes.

This is a really easy low carb high protein recipe because you only need 4 ingredients and you can prepare them in minutes. Then place them in the air fryer and let it do its magic!

I also like that these ingredients are pretty inexpensive and each serving has only 237 calories. These is great for those on a low carb or low calorie diet. And if you are on a restrictive diet like the carnivore diet you can eliminate the roasted pepper stuffing.

White plates with the finished air fryer thighs and a bunch of fresh parsley.

Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.

The four simple ingredients I used were boneless chicken thighs, shredded Swiss/gruyere blend cheese, roasted red peppers and bacon. You could also season with salt and black pepper or add more seasonings if you wanted.

Chicken Thighs
I used boneless skinless chicken thighs most because I was stuffing them and this cut of meat makes it the easiest. The under side has the perfect pocket for stuffing. You could use thin sliced boneless chicken breasts as well but the cooking time may vary a bit. You don’t want to use bone in thighs nor have the skin on.

The Stuffing Ingredients
The filling is shredded Swiss/gruyere cheese blend and roasted red peppers. This is where you can use any kind of cheese you like but the more flavor the better. I like this Swiss gruyere that I get at Aldi as it’s very flavorful. But you can use mozzarella shredded cheese, asiago, parmesan, sharp cheddar cheese, etc.

Also I used roasted peppers and they add flavor and are so tender. Most larger grocery stores carry them. You could also try pepperoncini peppers, hot peppers, sun dried tomatoes or even artichoke hearts. I’m trying those next time.

You could also add some baby spinach leaves, for color and nutrition. And as I mentioned above if you are on a carnivore diet you can eliminate them altogether.

Bacon
And lastly there is the bacon strips. I would suggest using a medium slice of bacon. The bacon I used below was thin enough to stretch and lay nice and flat around the chicken thighs. Thick cut bacon would be hard to work with and might take longer to crisp and thin cut would wrap easily but might get too crispy before the thighs cook through.

Note I don’t use any spices other than salt and black pepper because I felt there is a lot of flavor in the bacon, peppers and cheese. However if you wanted to you could sprinkle some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika or even some cayenne powder for a bit of heat. you would only want a sprinkle of any of these spices so they don’t over power the dish.

Recipe ingredients - boneless skinless chicken thighs, jar of roasted red peppers, a bag of Swiss/gruyere cheese and bacon slices.

How to make bacon wrapped chicken thighs in the air fryer.

Here is how to make bacon wrapped chicken thighs in the air fryer. As I mentioned above you can make this low carb high protein dinner in less than 30 minutes with just 4 simple ingredients.

Step 1: Spray the air fryer basket with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

Step 2: Lay out the boneless, skinless chicken thighs with the smooth side down. If you want you can pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel first. Open them out up so they lay flat and then season chicken thighs with salt and black pepper.

A white plate with 6 pieces of raw meat topped with cheese and peppers.

Step 3: Add a little of the shredded cheese in the middle and a few slices of the roasted peppers on top of that. Fold the sides over top each other to create a little bundle.

A white plate with 6 raw wrapped thighs ready to cook.

Step 4: Next wrap it with a strip of bacon. Start at one side and wrap the bacon, partially overlapping as you go and cover the thigh as best you. Place the bundle seam side down in the prepared air fryer basket in a single layer. Continue with the rest of the thighs.

An air fryer basket with the raw chicken bundles ready to cook.

Step 5: Place the basket back in the air fryer and cook at 370°F for 20 minutes and then gently flip over and cook for 5 more minutes to get the bacon nice and crispy on that side too.

When the internal temperature is 165°F and the bacon is to your liking it’s done. I like to use an instant read thermometer for this. Let rest for a few minutes before eating.

Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

Below you can see what they look like coming out of the air fryer. They are pretty simple but the bacon and cheese are just so salty and gooey and go well with the sweet peppers and juicy chicken.

Air fryer basket with finished chicken recipe.

What to serve with this dish.

I have many, many low carb side dish recipes but I personally would serve with these stuffed chicken thighs to make it a complete meal. Many times I make this keto cheesy cauliflower broccoli rice or this festive Mediterranean cauliflower rice.

Both side dishes take little time to make and you can cook them in the stove while the main dish cooks in the air fryer. You can always add a nice green salad too!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use chicken breast in this recipe?

You could also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts but make sure they are very thin. You might want to pound them out if you are using chicken breasts.

Do I use a different kind of cheese?

Yes I used the Swiss/gruyere combination that I buy at Aldi but you can use plain Swiss cheese or Mozzarella or really any kind you want. I would recommend using something that has a lot of flavor and/or that melts easily.

Do I have to stuff them with roasted red peppers?

No you can skip them altogether if you don’t like them, don’t have them or are on a carnivore or any type of diet that doesn’t include them. You can also substitute with other jarred peppers like banana pepper rings, pepperoncinis etc. You can also try some baby spinach leaves, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, etc.

How do I know the chicken is done?

You want to make sure the chicken is cooked through and the bacon is crispy. The internal temperature of the thighs should be 165°F and you use a meat thermometer to measure this.

Also you want the bacon to be crispy on both sides. That’s why you flip them 5 minutes before the time is over. I find a medium cut bacon works best because it’s easy to wrap and won’t burn like thinner sliced bacon might.

Closeup of a plate of bacon wrapped stuffed chicken made in the air fryer.

I can’t wait to make these low carb bacon wrapped chicken thighs again and experiment a little. They are so easy and versatile and my family loved them.

I have quite a few keto air fryer recipes so go
check them out when you get a chance.

The nutritional information for 1 serving is 237 cals
10.7g fat / 2.4g carbs / 0.1g fiber / 18.3g protein = 2.3g net cabs

You might also like my friend Sara’s skillet sun dried tomato chicken thighs recipe.