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If you’re not new to Wholesome Yum, you probably already know how much I love recipes with just a few ingredients. Even better when they are common ingredients that you often have in your fridge. This oven baked bacon wrapped chicken tenders recipe requires just three of them!
Chicken, bacon, and cheese are all you need. Easy and simple!
(If you prefer the traditional breaded kind, use this keto chicken tenders recipe instead.)
How to Make Chicken Wrapped in Bacon With Cheese
If you ask me, this cheesy version is the best way to cook chicken wrapped in bacon. Sure, you could make bacon wrapped chicken tenders without the cheese, but try this way and you’ll see why I prefer it. The melt-y cheese oozing out is just an amazing combo with the chicken and bacon. Complete the meal with cheesy zucchini gratin.
I used sharp cheddar cheese, since it pairs so well with those flavors. And – who am I kidding? – it’s partly because it’s what I had around. I’m pretty sure any kind of cheese you like will work just fine. Hard cheeses work best, though.
Baked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders for Meal Prep
I’m always looking for low carb chicken recipes I can make ahead. (My whole family loves chicken!) And, with two kids and two jobs, I’m often too busy or tired on weeknights to spend much time or effort on dinner.
That’s one of the reasons I love to make these easy bacon wrapped chicken tenders. You can easily prepare them in advance! Usually I prep the chicken wrapped in bacon on the weekend, and store it covered in a pan in the fridge. Then, I can just stick the pan in the oven right before dinner time.
I don’t recommend baking the tenders ahead of time, if you can avoid it. Just like any other chicken recipe, they will be more dry after reheating. That being said, I’ve happily enjoyed chicken wrapped in bacon as leftovers on multiple occasions. With this recipe, it’s still delicious! The cheese and bacon do help a lot when it comes to locking in moisture.
Even if you didn’t plan ahead, bacon wrapped chicken tenders are crazy easy to make and don’t take very long. They are ready in under 30 minutes from start to finish! That makes them perfect for a quick weeknight meal, but they look nice enough for serving for company, too.
How Long To Bake Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Just like my three-step Italian baked chicken breast recipe, I baked these bacon wrapped chicken tenders in the oven for a short time, at a high temperature. It will vary by oven, but using this method mine took 15 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. You don’t have to do it that way – there really isn’t a wrong level of heat with this easy recipe. But, they will take longer if you use a lower temperature.
How long to bake bacon wrapped chicken will actually depend on two factors: the thickness of the chicken and the oven temperature. I like everything faster when possible, so I opted for the route of high temp and less time. You may still need to adjust the time a bit based on the thickness, though.
By the way, you can actually make this recipe in two ways. You can do bacon wrapped chicken tenders or simply bacon wrapped chicken breast. I had tenders around, so that’s what I made. Either one will work great. I’m sure you could even use chicken thighs, but those may need a slightly longer time in the oven. Do you have a preference – chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs?
More Easy Chicken Recipes
If you like these bacon wrapped chicken tenders, here are more easy chicken ideas:
- Juicy Baked Chicken Breast – My easy technique for the juiciest chicken ever.
- Crock Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken
- Coconut Chicken Tenders
- Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast – Just 5 ingredients, sweet & salty, and paleo friendly!
Baked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders Recipe - 3 Ingredients:
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Baked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders Recipe - 3 Ingredients
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Fill a large bowl with warm water and a couple tablespoons sea salt. Add the chicken breast tenderloins (making sure the water covers them). Set aside to brine for at least 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with foil (greased lightly) or parchment paper.
- Remove the chicken from the water and pat dry. Place a piece of cheese over each piece of chicken. Wrap the two together in a slice of bacon. Place on the baking sheet, with the cheese side facing up. Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese, and bacon.
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Bake for about 13-16 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Place under the broiler for a couple of minutes to crisp up the bacon.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 2 chicken tenders
Video Showing How To Make Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders:
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113 Comments
Susan
These are okay but not something I’d make again. I did not put them under the broiler because a) I was using parchment paper under them and b) there were time constraints. For me, the flavor was nothing to write home about, and the bacon gives off a lot of grease that the cheese mostly melts into. I don’t think I would have liked these any better had I put them under the broiler.
Leia Gravett
Boo! The cheese completely cooked out! How do you cook it where the cheese doesn’t cook out?!
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Leia, I’m sorry these tenders didn’t turn out as planned. It really makes a difference here to use a harder cheese. Aged cheddar works great, but higher moisture cheddars will bleed out onto the baking pan.
Robin J
Lots of people refuse to eat my keto recipes but these are a crowd pleaser every time! I’ve used both cheddar and mozzarella. Even with cheese melting on to the pan, you can scoop it on top. I used parchment paper which makes for quick cleanup. Brining the chicken is a great tip to keep the chicken moist. Super easy and delicious.
Dianne
I’ve made this a few times now, once with cheese, once without, my husband and I both enjoy it. The cheese disappears, so I’ll skip that step. Still delicious!
Chavela
This was so easy and delicious, I’ll be making it again. Thank you for this great recipe!
Also use parchment paper. I didn’t have any smoke.
Kelli Slaughter
I made this last night with broccoli cheddar soup. It was so good my boys loved it, and it was quick and simple. I will be making this chicken probably alot. I give it a 5 star
Linny
Quick and easy and tasty! I added a small amount of Italian herb mix to the chicken. Next time I’m going to try a little pesto
The cheese did melt out in a puddle but they were on a baking tray so no issue.
Laura
Great recipe! Easy and delicious! Bonus, my toddler loved it too!!
Karen M
Made with frozen chicken tenders and bacon, no cheese and just light salt and pepper on chicken. 400′ in air fryer for about 16 minutes.
Fantastic!!!
Debbie
Hi there! this looks amazing and I am wondering how long you would cook it in the air fryer? I’m new to my air fryer still and am not sure how to convert most recipes still. Thanks!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Debbie, I have not tried making these in the air fryer. I think the concentrated heat may cause the cheese to melt off the chicken before it finishes cooking.
Karen M
I just make 2 tenders frozen, no cheese with the bacon in the air fryer. 400′ for about 16 minutes. Just lightly salted with pepper. Delicious
Vicki
Loved this. I used Costco chicken tenders and Costco pre-cooked bacon. Used thick sliced pre- sliced Cabot seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese, lactose free. Cooked 16 min at 450.
Turned out amazing.
Stefanie
This was a hit with my kids! My picky non-chicken eater asked for seconds. I used a block of Tillamook Cheddar cheese instead of presliced cheese. By cutting a thicker slice I lost less cheese to the bottom of the pan. I also used thick cut bacon so needed to add 3-4 minutes to my cooking time for the bacon to crisp up. Will definitely make this again.
Carol
We loved this recipe. I did also season the chicken tenders before I wrapped them. I also skewered the bacon with toothpicks. I did part of the cooking time at 400. I lost most of my cheese in the melting process, but the chicken was super moist from the brining and the cheese!!!
Dawn L
I decided to try this with my oven and air fryer. I also ran out of bacon as I had a lot of tenders — 3 packages from Costco — 18 tenders, I think, so I gave prosciutto a go, as well.
I decided to try 2 types of flavors besides the original. The original was very good, and an Italian blend was really tasty, as well. I also tried a sate’ blend (all my spices are Penzey’s) but was disappointed in the flavor, because I love it on chicken any other way. That is just MHO. It wasn’t bad, it just came in last.
The tenders definitely need cheese as it adds moisture. The bacon adds moisture, as well but trying to get it crispy with the broiler can leave them cooked too long and dry, so you need to balance out the cooking time with the extra crisping of bacon, if you like it that way. I did turn them over in the middle and used greased racks as suggested. The nice thing about the prosciutto is that it is larger and therefore encases the chicken which keeps it very moist, and bonus: you don’t have to crisp it — it turned out just fine by Maya’s recipe. (I used 1 sheet of prosciutto per tender.)
I did try one tender with prosciutto only, but it was dry…however, it was little by comparison so I may have just overcooked it. If I do plain ones like this, I would brine them longer and I would do an herb butter rub before encasing it in prosciutto…kind of like an inside-out Cordon Blu..still good for keto or carnivore diets.
Overall, I did this after 8 hrs. of work so it is a time-saver meal. I think kids could put this together with supervision. I can also see sticking these in a lettuce or low-carb wrap for a leftover lunch the next day. However, from looking at my pans…my family is not going to leave any leftovers!
Kimberly Fuentes
This page has soooo many ads in it that I could barely scroll through to read the directions , and each time I closed one ad I would scroll down and another would pop up. Thought I’d take the time to let you know so that you can improve your site cause I don’t want anyone to experience the annoyance I just went through.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Kimberly, Thanks for your feedback. Ads keep the Wholesome Yum website running and allow me to develop recipes that readers like you can access absolutely free. However, you may be interested in Wholesome Yum Plus, which includes an ad-free version of the website, along with other perks.
Mary
This took so long (3x the time) that my lunch date had to skip lunch since they had a meeting already scheduled 🙁
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Mary, I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out as expected. Did you make this recipe with chicken tenders? The chicken should not have taken that long to cook through unless it was frozen.
Mayra
I made it just as the recipe is and its the best! Better than fat head dough. Tfs!!
C
So, this didn’t work and we followed the recipe exactly. We wound up with a tray full of melted cheese and bacon that wasn’t as well done as we’d like on the underneath. I kind of suspected that this is what would happen- I mean cheese doesn’t stay on one place when you melt it.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi C, I’m sorry these tenders didn’t turn out as planned. It really makes a difference here to use a harder cheese. Aged cheddar works great, but higher moisture cheddars will bleed out onto the baking pan.
Carla
My tenders were bigger than in the video and took a little longer to cook and most of the cheese had melted and was on the parchment paper.
Judith
I so agree. She could have asked what she did wrong. To insult you was inappropriate and apparently an inexperienced cook. Maybe her oven needs to be calibrated. Or her watch. The rest of the 99.99% readers appreciate your wisdom and are grateful. Thanks ever. Keep sharing!! Yummy
Angela Little
I am trying it tonight, thanks
Sam
Well, the slices of cheese melted ALL OVER!! Hope it’s going to at least taste good.