Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken Tenders (Printable)

Smoky bacon wraps juicy chicken tenders coated in caramelized brown sugar for a sweet and savory dinner or appetizer ready in 45 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1 lb chicken tenders
02 - 1/2 tsp salt
03 - 1/2 tsp black pepper

→ Coating

04 - 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
05 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
06 - 1/4 tsp garlic powder
07 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

→ Bacon

08 - 8 slices bacon, cut in half

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and set a wire rack on top.
02 - Pat the chicken tenders dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
03 - In a shallow bowl, combine brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
04 - Wrap each chicken tender with a half-slice of bacon, overlapping slightly. Secure with a toothpick if necessary.
05 - Roll each bacon-wrapped chicken tender in the brown sugar mixture, pressing gently to coat all sides.
06 - Arrange the tenders on the wire rack, spacing them out to allow air circulation.
07 - Bake for 25–30 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature should reach 165°F).
08 - Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Remove toothpicks if used.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The bacon keeps the chicken incredibly juicy while creating this incredible candy-like glaze that youll want to eat straight off the pan
  • My kids who claim they dont like bacon somehow devoured these, which still makes me laugh every time I think about it
02 -
  • The wire rack is non-negotiable hereI tried baking these directly on a pan once and ended up with partially raw chicken swimming in rendered fat
  • If your sugar starts burning too quickly before the chicken is done, tent some foil loosely over the top for the last few minutes
03 -
  • If your bacon is thick-cut, consider par-cooking it for 2 minutes before wrapping so it finishes crisping at the same time as the chicken
  • The broiler trick mentioned in the notes is amazing but stand right thereone minute of inattention turns beautiful caramelization into burnt sugar

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