Oven Baked Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders

By Lisa MarcAurele on Jan 30, 2017 68 Comments - This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosure

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Additional Info

Net Carbs: 2 g | % Carbs: 2.6 % | % Protein: 38.2 % | % Fat: 59.2 %

These oven baked bacon wrapped chicken tenders are always a hit as appetizers or main dish. The bacon keeps the meat juicy and provides added flavor.

My husband just told me that he invited a bunch of friends to come over to watch the Super Bowl next weekend. I’m sure they will probably bring some food, but I want to prepare a few appetizers.

I picked up some chicken tenders to come up with a new appetizer recipe. Originally, I planned to make Buffalo chicken tenders using my shake and bake chicken recipe for the coating. I even debated on the spicy dry rub chicken wings.

I’ve already come up with many low carb appetizer recipes over the years. However, I eventually was settled on wanting to test out a new recipe that I can make for the big game this year

After thinking about how messy Buffalo chicken is, I chose to make these oven baked bacon wrapped chicken tenders instead. And, I’m so glad I went with this recipe. They are so yummy!

It’s super easy to make this appetizer. I used the shake and bake method to easily coat each chicken piece with the spice blend.

You simply dump all the herbs and spices into a large zipper bag. Then, you add each piece of chicken and shake the bag to evenly coat it.

Once coated with the seasonings, you just have to wrap a slice of bacon around each tender. I’m thinking at this point, you could put them in the refrigerator and bake next day.

To ensure the bacon grease dripped off and the bacon gets crisp, I cooked the bacon wrapped chicken tenders on cooling racks. It’s the method I use when baking bacon.

Sometimes, oven baked chicken tenders can be dry. However, you won’t every have to worry about that when you wrap them in bacon!

My family members who tested these oven baked bacon wrapped chicken tenders thought they were a bit spicy. I’ll probably tone down the cayenne pepper next time to please others.

I have trouble determining if something is too spicy because I like my food on the really hot side spice wise. So, if they said it had too much of a kick, likely most others will think so too.

In the recipe, I list the amount of cayenne I used, but note that it should be reduced for those who don’t want it too spicy. I’d say using half the amount should please most.

Since I’m a fan of really spicy food, I served my bacon wrapped chicken tenders with some Sarayo sauce. I had an extra bottle sitting around from a past Keto Krate shipment.

The tenders taste great by themselves, but I like to add in that extra kick. You could serve them plain or with your favorite dipping sauce.

Ranch or blue cheese dressing would also be great for dipping. When I serve these as appetizers for the Super Bowl, I’m going to cut each tender into 3 or 4 bite size pieces.

We served these up as a main dish for dinner and lunch. Two pieces turned out to be the perfect size serving.

I love that these oven baked bacon wrapped chicken tenders are so easy to make. My daughter who is clueless when it comes to cooking even commented about the ease of the recipe.

Another simple appetizer I like to make are salt & vinegar chicken wings. Although I usually cook those in an air fryer, they can be baked in the oven too.