Dump Meals

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Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders

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Chicken tenders wrapped in bacon, sprinkled with brown sugar and spices, and baked on a rack until crisp.

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders, served
A computer-made picture of the finished dish, not a photo of this recipe.
Serves
6
Prep
20 minutes
Bake
400°F, 25 to 30 minutes
Pan
rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack, lined with foil

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Bacon-wrapped chicken tenders are an easy supper that also works as party food. Each tender gets one slice of bacon wound around it and a sprinkle of brown sugar, chili powder and garlic. They bake on a rack over a foil-lined pan, so the fat drips away and cleanup is just a sheet of foil.

Regular sliced bacon is the right choice here. Thick-cut bacon is still soft when the chicken is done, so the chicken would overcook while you wait for the bacon. If the bacon needs more color when the chicken reaches temperature, a minute or two under the broiler finishes it.

Serve with ranch dressing or barbecue sauce for dipping, and coleslaw, potato salad or corn on the side. Leftovers reheat best in the oven, so the bacon crisps again, until the chicken is hot all the way through.

Ingredients

You need

  • 2 pounds chicken tenderloins, about 14
  • 1 pound regular sliced bacon, not thick-cut
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
  • nonstick cooking spray

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, set a wire rack on it, and spray the rack.
  2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Don't rinse it; rinsing splashes germs around the sink.
  3. Wrap each tender in a slice of bacon in a spiral, and set it on the rack with the ends of the bacon underneath. Leave a little space between them. Wash your hands and anything the raw chicken touched with hot, soapy water.
  4. Mix the brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder and paprika, and sprinkle it over the tops.
  5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the bacon is browned and the thickest tender reads at least 165°F in the center.
  6. If the bacon needs more color, broil 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely, because the sugar burns fast. Let them rest 5 minutes before serving.

It's done when the thickest tender reads at least 165°F in the center, and the bacon is browned and crisp at the edges. Check with a food thermometer.

Leftovers go in the refrigerator within two hours, in shallow covered containers. Reheat them until hot all the way through (165°F).

Tips

  • Tenders vary in size, so check the biggest one with a thermometer.
  • No rack? Bake them on the foil, and turn them once halfway through so the bottoms don't stew in the fat.

Food-safety sources

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