Our Ultimate Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken Tenders Recipe

Are you on the hunt for a dinner that will captivate the entire family, leaving nothing but happy faces and empty plates? We understand the familiar challenge of figuring out a meal that pleases both young, fussy eaters and grown-up palates. It can feel like a quest to find a single, perfect dish. Fortunately, your quest ends here. We’re excited to share a recipe that strikes a brilliant harmony of flavour and texture: Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken Tenders.

Picture this: succulent, tender chicken strips, each lovingly wrapped in a crisp, salty slice of streaky bacon. Then, imagine these delightful parcels being generously coated in a sweet, caramelised brown sugar glaze and baked until the bacon is perfectly crispy and the coating is gloriously bubbly. This is more than just dinner; it’s a culinary event. It’s the kind of meal that sparks joy and has everyone eagerly asking for more. Prepare to welcome a new favourite into your regular meal plan.

Why You’ll Adore This Recipe

• The Perfect Flavour Balance: This is the definitive sweet and savory chicken dish. The smoky saltiness of the bacon beautifully complements the deep sweetness of the brown sugar, resulting in a wonderfully balanced and utterly moreish taste.
• Remarkably Easy to Prepare: You only need a few staple ingredients and some simple instructions to get these amazing chicken tenders ready in less than 40 minutes. It delivers a gourmet experience without any complicated steps.
• A Guaranteed Hit with the Family: We can confidently say this recipe is a crowd-pleaser. It serves as a prime example of kid-friendly chicken that adults will find just as irresistible. Wave goodbye to dinnertime negotiations!
• Suits Any Occasion: These tenders work brilliantly as a main course with your go-to side dishes, sliced into a vibrant salad, or served as a can’t-stop-eating appetiser at your next gathering. They vanish quickly, no matter how you serve them!
• Fantastic Textures: In every single bite, you experience the juicy chicken, the crispy bacon, and the delightful stickiness of the glaze. It’s a truly satisfying textural journey.

Ingredients

• boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
• streaky bacon
• light brown sugar
• smoked paprika
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• black pepper
• chilli powder
• olive oil
• Fresh parsley

How to Make Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken Tenders

Creating these delectable chicken tenders is surprisingly straightforward. We’ve organised the method into four easy-to-follow stages to take you from prep to plate. Simply follow along, and you’ll soon be enjoying the most delicious chicken you’ve tasted in a long time.

Step 1: Prepare the Chicken and Seasoning

To begin, preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C Fan / Gas Mark 6). It’s essential to line a large baking tray with baking parchment or a silicone mat. This step is vital for a hassle-free clean-up, as the glaze gets very sticky!

1. In a small bowl, mix together the light brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and a pinch of chilli powder if you’re using it. Stir until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. This mixture is the secret to the sweet and spicy coating.
2. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken tenderloins dry, as this helps the bacon and coating to stick properly. Place the dry chicken into a larger bowl, add a drizzle of olive oil, and toss gently to ensure every piece is lightly coated.

Step 2: Wrap the Tenders with Bacon

This is the part where the real magic starts. The bacon not only infuses the chicken with incredible flavour but also locks in moisture, keeping the meat beautifully tender as it cooks.

1. Take a single slice of streaky bacon and wrap it firmly around one chicken tenderloin. Start at one end and spiral down to the other. You may need to gently stretch the bacon to ensure full coverage, depending on its length.
2. If the end of the bacon won’t stay put, a cocktail stick can be used to secure it. However, placing the tender with the seam facing down on the baking tray is usually enough to keep it in place.
3. Continue this process until all of the chicken tenders have been wrapped.

Step 3: Coat in Brown Sugar Mixture

It’s now time to give our bacon-wrapped chicken its signature sweet and sticky coating. This is what transforms them into irresistible glazed chicken tenders.

1. Take each bacon-wrapped tender and roll it thoroughly in the brown sugar and spice blend you made earlier.
2. Press down lightly to make sure the mixture adheres well to all sides of the bacon. Be generous here – a thicker coating results in a richer, more caramelised finish!
3. Arrange each coated tender on your prepared baking tray, making sure to leave a small gap between them. This allows for better air circulation, which helps the bacon to crisp up nicely.

Step 4: Bake to Crispy, Caramelised Perfection

For the final stage, simply let the oven work its magic. The aroma that will soon fill your home is absolutely heavenly!

1. Transfer the baking tray into your preheated oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.
2. About halfway through the baking time, you can carefully turn the tenders over to encourage even crisping on both sides.
3. The tenders are done when the chicken is thoroughly cooked, and the bacon has become crisp and darkly caramelised. The chicken’s internal temperature should read 74°C (165°F). We always recommend using a meat thermometer for accuracy and safety, as highlighted by the Food Standards Agency.
4. Once cooked, remove the tray from the oven and allow the tenders to rest for a couple of minutes before serving. Garnish with some freshly chopped parsley to add a pop of colour and freshness.

Tips for the Best Sticky Chicken Strips

To help you achieve flawless Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken Tenders on every occasion, we have compiled some of our most useful tips. These small adjustments can make a significant impact!

• Use the Right Bacon: Streaky bacon is definitely the superior choice for this recipe. Its fat content renders down beautifully during cooking, which crisps it up and bastes the chicken. We suggest avoiding thick-cut back bacon, as it tends to remain soft rather than crispy.
• Don’t Forget Baking Parchment: We really can’t overstate this! The brown sugar melts into a caramel that will set like concrete on an unlined tray. Using baking parchment will make your clean-up incredibly simple.
• Adjust the Sweetness: If you find things too sweet, feel free to reduce the quantity of brown sugar slightly. For a deeper, treacle-like flavour, you can substitute the light brown sugar with dark brown sugar.
• Aim for Uniformity: Try to select chicken tenders of a similar size and thickness. This promotes even cooking, ensuring none are undercooked or overcooked. If you are using chicken breasts, just slice them into evenly sized strips to create perfect sticky chicken strips.

Serving and Pairing Suggestions

These wonderfully versatile tenders can be the centrepiece of many different meals. For a satisfying family dinner, we love to serve them with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. They are also a fantastic match for a crisp garden salad tossed in a light vinaigrette, which cuts through the richness beautifully. For a more relaxed, pub-grub feel, you can’t beat serving them with a side of sweet potato fries and a dipping sauce like honey mustard or a creamy garlic aioli.

If you’re planning a menu for a party, these tenders are an excellent choice for a sharing platter. Should you wish to offer another tempting chicken option, consider our popular Ranch Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers for a contrasting flavour profile.

Creative Recipe Variations

While we think this recipe is perfect as it is, we always encourage you to experiment in the kitchen! There are numerous ways to add a personal touch to these Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken Tenders.

• Turn Up the Heat: For those who enjoy a spicy kick, add more chilli powder or even a ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the sugar mix. You could also try brushing the tenders with a bit of your favourite hot sauce before they go into the oven. If you’re a fan of the sweet and spicy combination, you might also like our Hot Honey Feta Chicken Recipe.
• A Maple Bacon Twist: For a delicious variation, replace the brown sugar with maple sugar. Alternatively, create a glaze using half brown sugar and half maple syrup for that classic sweet and smoky flavour.
• Add Aromatic Herbs: Introduce a teaspoon of dried herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, into the spice blend. This will add a more fragrant and savoury depth to the final dish.

FAQ

A New Family Favourite Awaits

And there you have it—a straightforward yet truly impressive recipe for Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken Tenders that we believe will quickly become a household favourite. The delightful interplay of salty, crisp bacon with a sweet, sticky glaze delivers a taste experience that is genuinely memorable. It’s fast enough for a busy weeknight yet feels special enough for a weekend meal or for serving to guests.

So, why not give it a go? It’s time to get into the kitchen and whip up a meal that is guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s face. We’re sure that you and your loved ones will be smitten with this dish. Please do let us know how you get on; we always enjoy hearing about your culinary creations! Feel free to leave a comment below or tag us on social media with a photo of your fantastic results.

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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 500g boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
• 12 slices streaky bacon
• 100g light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C Fan) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and optional chilli powder.
3. Pat the chicken tenders dry, place in a separate bowl, and toss with olive oil to lightly coat.
4. Wrap each chicken tender snugly with a slice of streaky bacon.
5. Roll each bacon-wrapped tender in the sugar and spice mixture, pressing gently to ensure it’s fully coated.
6. Arrange the tenders on the prepared baking tray, leaving a small gap between each. Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 74°C).
7. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

Nutrition (per serving):
585 calories,
25g carbs,
54g protein,
29g fat