Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut chicken breasts lengthwise into thirds, creating 12 tender-sized pieces of approximately equal thickness.
- Wrap a slice of partially cooked bacon around each chicken tender, overlapping the bacon slightly so it holds together.
- Place bacon-wrapped chicken tenders on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Season the bacon-wrapped chicken on all sides generously with Kinder's Brown Sugar Rub, using approximately 2-3 tbsp. total.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165°F when measured with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with your favorite BBQ sauce for dipping.
Nutrition
Notes
- Par-cook the bacon before wrapping — Pull it from the pan after 5-7 minutes over medium heat, when it's pliable and rendering but not yet crispy. That head start means it finishes in the oven at the same time the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Use a wire rack set over a foil-lined pan — The rack lets hot air circulate underneath and lets rendered fat drip down instead of pooling around the meat. Without it, the bottom half steams instead of crisps.
- Season after wrapping, not before — Coat the assembled bacon-wrapped tender on all sides with the rub. The bacon surface holds the seasoning and gives the brown sugar something to caramelize against.
- Don't pull by color alone — The rub darkens fast and the exterior looks done before the chicken is safe. Use a meat thermometer; pull at 165°F in the thickest part of the chicken.
- Thick-cut bacon needs more par-cook time — Add 2-3 extra minutes in the pan to render the additional fat before wrapping. Skip it and the bacon stays chewy through baking.
- Vary the dipping sauce — BBQ sauce is the default, but honey mustard, garlic aioli, and spicy sriracha mayo all pair well with the sweet-smoky rub.
- Serve hot off the wire rack with BBQ sauce on the side. As a main, four tenders per person alongside roasted vegetables, rice, or mashed potatoes makes a complete plate.
- For a spread, pile all 12 on a platter with two or three dipping options. BBQ sauce, honey mustard, and a sriracha mayo cover different flavor registers and keep people moving through the platter. Works for game day, casual entertaining, or any setup where people are grazing.
- These also hold up cold. The bacon crust stays intact overnight in the refrigerator, which makes them a solid packed lunch — sauce on the side.
- Store cooled tenders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes to keep the bacon crust from going soft. Skip the microwave — it makes the bacon chewy.
- These freeze well for up to 3 months. Pack in a single layer, freeze solid, then transfer to a bag or container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven.