Chicken Tenders
I mean sure, chicken tenders are great, but realistically is anything wrapped in bacon not just infinitly better?! Any disagreement with that statement may mean you’re on the wrong blog 🤣Anywho, let’s talk tenders. Contrary to popular belief, chicken tenders aren’t just sliced chicken breast. The tender is actually the strip of meat directly under the breast meat, and as the name suggests, is often more ‘tender’ than the breast itself.
Can I use Chicken Breast for this recipe?
Yes, for all intents and purposes the breast sliced into strips works just fine. To get things going there’s 2 steps to ensure you prep the tenders right:
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders
Right, chicken prepped, let’s talk bacon. I find 1 rasher of bacon per tender works perfectly. If your tenders are particularly chunky you can use 1.5, but I can’t see you needing to. Here in the UK I use what we call ‘streaky bacon’ of which I’m continually reminded by my US followers this is just regular bacon 😂 To wrap the tenders, simply start at one end, work your way to the other end and tuck in the bacon at the end. This will stop them unraveling.
Can I prep these ahead of time?
Absolutely! Just tightly cover and store in the fridge (up to 24 hours). Or you can actually freeze them (up to one month) then just thaw in the fridge.
How to cook Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders
Most recipes bake the tenders. Here I actually pan fry them. I find that when you bake them, to achieve crispy bacon, because of how much smaller tenders are than the actual breast, you have to slightly sacrifice the juiciness of the chicken. When you pan fry over medium heat you can render down the fat of the bacon easier, leaving the outside crispy. The direct heat of the pan will crisp up the bacon nicely without drying out the chicken.
So, can I bake them?
You can, and honestly difference isn’t huge (I’m just a food snob). I do recommend switching on the grill and broiling for a few mins at the end if the bacon isn’t quite crispy enough though. The difference between tenders wrapped in crispy bacon and tenders wrapped in cooked bacon IS huge.
How to serve Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders
One of my favourite ways to serve these tenders is with a dip. You can really use any dip you fancy – I do have a whole category dedicated to Delicious Dips if you need some inspo 🙂
Honey Mustard Dip
Here I serve them with a honey mustard dip. At it’s heart, honey mustard dip is simply equal parts mayo, mustard and honey. I also add in a dollop of sour cream for some extra creaminess and a dash of lemon juice, just to cut through the sweetness of the honey. You could also serve them with a side salad and French Fries or Wedges!
And there we have it! They really are that easy to make. If you’re after more tender goodness then definitely make sure you check out my Crispy Oven Baked Tenders and Spicy Fried Chicken Tenders! If you’re looking for more bacon wrapped recipes then check out my Pigs in Blankets! Alrighty, that’s all the tips I’ve got for you on this one. Let’s tuck into the full recipe shall we?!
How to make Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders (Full Recipe & Video)
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