If you love to grill then you need to make these Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders. With only 4 ingredients and a simple process to make, these chicken tenders are sure to please your hungry family.
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Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders is bursting with flavor. Wrapping the chicken in bacon holds in the flavor and juices. The combination of the BBQ sauce and brown sugar really makes this chicken recipe so amazing.
You might also like Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pickles Recipe, Grilled Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Chick Fil A Grilled Nuggets Recipe, Grilled Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin or Grilled Bacon Wrapped Corn on the Cob Recipe.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
When I make a recipe, I am always looking for easy grilled chicken recipes that I can use ingredients that I have. This is one of those recipes. We cook a lot of chicken recipes, so my family is always excited when I jazz things up.
Adding the cut bacon to chicken really helps this chicken lock in the juicy flavor that I love with chicken. Once I know that the chicken wrapped in bacon has reached a temperature of 165 degrees, I like to base the chicken with some extra BBQ sauce.
My kids even like to have a side of the BBQ sauce mixture for dipping, it is that good. You will love this delicious recipe. If you have a Blackstone, you may even like this Blackstone Chicken Tenders Recipe.
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders – we used approximately 7-8 tenders
- Bacon
- Barbecue Sauce
- Brown Sugar
Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe and ingredients.
Variations Ideas
We love recipes that you can change to what you have on hand. This is one of those recipes.
- Add other Seasoning – Other ingredients I occasionally will add is some smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Slice Cheese is always good – Add a slice of cheese on top of the chicken tender and then wrap in bacon. The cheese just melts perfectly.
- Omit the BBQ Sauce – If you don’t like BBQ sauce, you can use something else. I like a little BBQ sauce on mine but I have also marinated my chicken in Italian Dressing and then wrapped in bacon. It was so good.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1 – Get your Grill Ready – Preheat your grill over medium high heat to approximately 350 degrees F.
- Step 2 – Prepare the Grill Grates – Spray the grill grates with a non-stick cooking spray or rub with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking to the grates.
- Step 3 – Wrap the Chicken – Wrap each chicken tender with a slice of bacon.
- Step 4 – Brush on BBQ Sauce – I get a small bowl and put the BBQ sauce in it. Then I use a silicone basting brush to add the barbecue sauce onto the chicken tenders with the bacon.
- Step 5 – Add Brown Sugar to Chicken – Then sprinkle with the brown sugar and rub the sugar into the barbecue sauce with the basting brush.
- Step 6 – Grill Chicken – Gently place the chicken tenders on the grill. Grill for 5-7 minutes, flip the chicken and then grill for 5-7 more minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Step 7 – Serve and Enjoy – Move the chicken to plate lined with paper towels, let it set for at least 5 minutes. Then serve warm and enjoy! Add a side dish and your meal is complete.
How Long to Cook
We grill our chicken on our gas grill. You can also cook over charcoal if your prefer. We wait until our gas grill reaches 350 degree’s and place our chicken wrapped in pieces of bacon on our treated grates to grill.
We grill chicken for about 5 minutes then flip to the other side. The last few minutes of cooking, we baste the chicken with additional BBQ sauce. To ensure your chicken is cooked, it is recommended to get a meat thermometer.
Once your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, then you chicken is done. It is better to check your chicken this way, rather than slicing. You want to let your chicken rest before slicing to ensure that it holds all of its juices.
How to Bake
If you prefer or don’t have access to a grill, you can always bake your chicken. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your rimmed baking sheet, by placing a foil down and spraying with cooking spray. This keeps the chicken from sticking to the foil.
Cook your chicken for about 20 minutes to 30 minutes until cooked through. I usually flip chicken halfway through the cooking process. I still use my meat thermometer to make sure my chicken reaches 165 degrees before slicing.
We recommend placing chicken on a rack on top of the cookie sheet to help the bacon get crispy.
How long is Bacon Wrapped Chicken good for?
This bacon wrapped chicken tenderloin recipe is great leftover. If stored properly in the refrigerator the leftovers will stay good for up to 5 days. Make sure to store in an airtight container to ensure that chicken stays fresh.
My kids loving having these leftover. They are always trying to eat more protein, so they will grab a few of these and heat in the microwave. It just the perfect snack as they head off to practice.
What to Serve with Chicken Tenders
There are so many options to serve with these chicken tenders. These are some of our favorites:
Can I Use the Air Fryer?
Yes, you can make air fryer bacon wrapped chicken tenders. Place chicken tenders in the air fryer basket in a single layer for a flavor explosion meal idea. Air fry the strips at 380 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Check to make sure chicken are cooked by using a meat thermometer. Cooking time will vary.
More Grilled Chicken Recipes to try
- Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts Recipe
- Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Recipe
- Grilled Jalapeno Popper Chicken
- Easy Grilled BBQ Chicken Ranch Recipe
- Grilled Balsamic Glazed Chicken Recipe
- Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Tenders
We love to hear from you. If you make this Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders Recipe, please leave us a comment.
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders
Ingredients
- 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders approximately 7-8 tenders
- 8 Slices Bacon
- 4 Tbsp Barbecue Sauce
- 4 tsp Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your grill over medium high heat to approximately 350 degrees F. Spray the grill grates with a non-stick cooking spray or rub with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking to the grates.
- Wrap each chicken tender with a piece of bacon. Then brush (I used a silicone basting brush) the barbecue sauce onto the chicken tenders with the bacon. Then sprinkle with the brown sugar and rub the sugar into the barbecue sauce with the basting brush.
- Gently place the chicken tenders on the grill. Grill for 5-7 minutes, flip the chicken and then grill for 5-7 more minutes until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Move the chicken to plate, let it set for at least 5 minutes. Then serve warm and enjoy!
Anything wrapped in bacon, yes please! This recipe was delicious!!!