Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F and put cast iron skillet in oven. If you don’t have one you can use a casserole dish, but DON’T put it in the oven yet.
2. In a bowl, stir together the seasonings, except the red pepper flakes.
3. Rub the seasoning mixture over the chicken thighs, making sure to cover both sides.
4. Wrap two slices of bacon around each thigh (if some are small just use one slice). Tuck the bacon underneath the chicken. You can also use toothpicks to hold it in place.
5. Skip this step if you did not use a cast iron skillet — Once the oven is preheated carefully remove the cast iron skillet if you are using one, and set it on a heat-resistant surface and close the oven.
6. Place the chicken thighs in skillet or casserole dish
7. Drizzle the maple syrup over the bacon and rub to fully coat, sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° F and the bacon is nicely browned.
9. If the chicken is done before the bacon has browned, turn the broiler on high and broil for 2-3 minutes to crisp the bacon.

   * Preheating the cast iron skillet just helps the bacon on the bottom of the chicken to crisp up a little, it can be skipped if you don’t want to take a hot skillet out of the oven.