This post is sponsored by Kingsford, but the content and opinions expressed here are our own.
Tailgate in your yard! Grill bacon-wrapped BBQ chicken tenders, a tender, juicy, smoky, sticky-sweet mouth full of flavor with every bite!
Let’s face it, sports and gameday tailgates look much different this year. However, your grilling game doesn’t have to suffer. You can keep that game day spirit alive, grilling in the comfort of your own backyard. We’ve teamed up with Kingsford Charcoal to bring you this brand-new recipe for Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken Tenders to enjoy on game day.
The chicken tenders are wrapped in bacon sprinkled with an aromatic blend of spices, then grilled to perfection and basted with your favorite BBQ sauce. They’re a tender, juicy, smoky, sticky-sweet mouth full of flavor with every bite!
But that’s not all. Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken Tenders are:
- Easy to make.
- Can be prepped ahead.
- Cook quickly so you can enjoy more time with friends and family.
So, let’s do some backyard tailgating. Fire up the grill to keep that tailgating spirit alive while enjoying some amazing barbecue chicken!
Ingredients Needed For This Recipe
The recipe card at the end of this post lists the full ingredient list with measurements.
- Chicken Tenders
- Bacon
- Rub – Use our recipe or your favorite poultry bbq rub
- Barbecue Sauce – Use your favorite sauce. We used our homemade Classic Barbecue sauce.
How To Make Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken Tenders
Here’s a basic overview of how to make BBQ Chicken Tenders. The recipe card at the end of this post provides detailed instructions with times and temperatures.
Prepare the Chicken Tenders
- Combine the rub ingredients, reserving half.
- Sprinkle half of the dry rub onto the chicken tenders. Coat all over using your hand to press the rub onto the meat so it will adhere.
- Wrap each chicken tender with one strip of bacon, using a small metal skewer or soaked toothpick to help hold the bacon in place.
- Sprinkle the bacon-wrapped tenders with the remaining half of the dry rub on all sides.
Fire Up The Grill!
- Light a charcoal chimney full of Kingsford Charcoal.
- When the coals are ready and gray with ash, pour out the coal into the grill and set up the coals for a two-zone fire for indirect heat. Preheat the grill to 350 degrees F.
Grill The Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders
- Grill the chicken over direct heat until the bacon is crisp and turns golden brown with slight char, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and brown the other side for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. – Use the lid to control flare-ups from the bacon fat.
- When both sides of the bacon are brown and crisp, move the chicken tenders over to the cooler (indirect) side of the grill. Close the lid and allow the chicken to cook for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. – Add charcoal and adjust the grill’s vents to maintain the temperature.
- After 10 minutes, check the temperature of the chicken with an instant-read thermometer. The thickest part of the chicken should read no less than 165 degrees F.
Sauce, Rest, and Enjoy!
- Baste the chicken tenders with warmed barbecue sauce to help caramelize the sauce. It’s important to pay close attention not to let the bacon get too charred and black.
- Remove from the grill and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before enjoying!
Tips For Making Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken Tenders:
- Save money: Buying whole boneless-skinless chicken breasts and cutting them into strips is cheaper. This also gives you more control over how many chicken tenders you have.
- Skewers: Small metal skewers work best for securing the bacon around the chicken tenders. You can use toothpicks or wooden skewers if you don’t have metal skewers. Just keep in mind that toothpicks burn quickly. Soak the toothpicks in water for about 20 minutes before using them.
- For best results: prepare the chicken tenders, then cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for an hour or overnight. Not to mention prepping the chicken tenders ahead is a real time saver!
- BBQ Sauce: We encourage you to warm the barbecue sauce in a small saucepan on the grill before brushing it onto the bacon-wrapped chicken tenders. Warming the sauce will help caramelize it faster, which will keep the chicken from overcooking.
There are so many options for what you can grill using Kingsford Charcoal. We’ve used Kingsford Charcoal for years and highly recommend it to anyone.
We hope you enjoy bacon-wrapped BBQ chicken tenders at your next backyard tailgate!
Thank you, Kingsford, for sponsoring this recipe!
Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken Tenders
Tailgate in your yard! Grill bacon-wrapped BBQ chicken tenders, a tender, juicy, smoky, sticky-sweet mouth full of flavor with every bite!
Servings 6
Calories 408kcal
Useful Equipment:
- Toothpicks
- Small Skewers
Ingredients
- 12 chicken tenders about 2-pounds
- 12 strips bacon (1 pound strips)
- dry rub (recipe to follow
- 1 ½ cups BBQ Sauce (your favorite)
Dry Rub
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken Tenders
- Combine the rub ingredients, reserve half.
- Sprinkle half of the dry rub onto the chicken tenders. Coat all over using your hand to press the rub onto the meat so it will adhere.
- Wrap each chicken tender with one strip of bacon, using a small metal skewer or toothpick to help hold the bacon in place.
- Sprinkle the bacon-wrapped tenders with the remaining half of the dry rub on all sides.
Fire Up The Grill!
- Light a charcoal chimney full of Kingsford Charcoal.
- When the coals are ready and gray with ash, pour out the coal into the grill and set up the coals for a two-zone fire for indirect heat. Preheat the grill to about 350 degrees F.
Grill The Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Tenders
- Grill the chicken over direct heat until bacon is crisp and turns golden brown with slight char, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and brown the other side for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. – Use the lid to control flareups from the bacon fat.
- When both sides of the bacon are brown and crisp, move the chicken tenders over to the cooler (indirect) side of the grill. Close the lid and allow the chicken to cook for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. – Add charcoal and adjust the vents of the grill to maintain temperature.
- After 10 minutes, check the temperature of the chicken with an instant-read thermometer. The thickest part of the chicken should read no less than 165 degrees F.
Sauce Rest and Enjoy!
- Baste the chicken tenders with warmed barbecue sauce to help caramelize the sauce. It’s important to pay close attention not to let the bacon get too charred and black.
- Remove from the grill and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before enjoying!
Notes
Save money: Buying whole boneless-skinless chicken breasts and cutting them into strips is cheaper and gives you more control over how many chicken tenders you end up with.
Skewers: Small metal skewers work best for securing the bacon around the chicken tenders. If you don’t have metal skewers, you can use toothpicks or wooden skewers. Just keep in mind they burn quickly. Soak the toothpicks in water for about 20 minutes before using them.
For best results: prepare the chicken tenders then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. Not to mention prepping the chicken tenders ahead is a real time saver!
BBQ Sauce: We encourage you to warm the barbecue sauce in a small saucepan on the grill before brushing it onto the bacon-wrapped chicken tenders. Warming the sauce will help carmelize it faster which in turn will keep the chicken from overcooking.
Nutrition
Serving: 2Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken Tenders | Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 1919mg | Potassium: 504mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 309IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Give it a star rating and leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out for you. If you’d like, share a photo of your dish on Instagram, don’t forget to mention @TheMountainKitchen or use #TheMountainKitchen!
Barbara says
I prepared these over the Labor Day weekend and they turned out quite well. They were good. I prepared them on a pellet grill without any issues. As suggested, I wrapped the tenders earlier in the day with the seasonings and bacon and kept them in the fridge until time to grill them. I will probably make them again.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Barbara! So glad you liked this recipe. Thanks for the feedback. I hope you had a great weekend!