Creamy Bacon Mushroom Thyme Chicken

This tasted much better than it looks...I tried to make a healthier version using low fat cream cheese and milk instead of heavy cream. It could have used more milk to make it more of a sauce than a paste.

4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

6 slices bacon

8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced

8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened

Milk to thin cream cheese

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Preheat oven to 350°. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet to medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts and season with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Pan Sear each side of the chicken for 1 - 2 minutes until brown. Move chicken to an oven safe pan or baking stone and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Place chicken in a serving dish.

While chicken is cooking in the oven, cut slices of bacon into one inch pieces and fry in skillet. Remove bacon and sauté the mushrooms in bacon drippings until soft. Mix the cream cheese and milk together and add it to the mushrooms along with the bacon, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme. Blend together and bring to a simmer until the sauce starts to thicken.

Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately with rice, pasta or vegetables.