Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders

This Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders recipe is one of my husband’s new favorite proteins!  Made with lean chicken breast tenders, turkey bacon, melted pepper jack cheese, and topped with avocado, it’s a flavor explosion.  Plus the Air Fryer makes it extra crispy!  You can also use your Mealthy CrispLid. Don’t have one?  I included oven directions, too!  This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with. 

Confession:  this is my first recipe post since…like a month ago?  I don’t even know at this point.

It’s summer.  And that basically means I need a clone or I need to relax.

I kinda don’t have a choice here.

Like so many of you working parents – whether you work from home or work out of the home or stay at home, summer is full of challenges.  And while I am hanging on to these precious times with my daughter who is growing up way too fast, I am also human.  I need a minute here and there.  I still feel the pressure of my job even though I work for myself. And I love to work.

And so taking a few minutes to share this Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders recipe feels really good.  And man, these ARE really good.  My husband said it’s one of his new favorites for sure.  And with the craziness of summer, these are also super easy to make and are really yummy leftover (I throw them over a salad for lunch!).

Are chicken tenders the same as chicken breast?

In this recipe I use chicken tenders or tenderloins, which if you are a regular reader of my blog, you know I LOVE them.  They cook up nice and quick, and come out delicious in the Instant Pot, in the Crock Pot, on the Grill, in the Oven, and diced up for skillet meals.

If your store doesn’t sell tenderloins or they are more expensive than breasts, you can actually slice up your own following this Chicken Tenders tutorial!

How to make bacon wrapped chicken tenders or chicken breast in the Air fryer

One of the first things I tried making in my new Air Fryer was bacon…and oh man, it didn’t disappoint!  We regularly make turkey bacon here, and it comes out so crispy and delicious in the air fryer in way less time than when I bake it in the oven.  And so, it has now become my goal to wrap all the things in bacon and air fry them!

To make these bacon wrapped chicken tenders, you need the following ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken tenders or chicken breasts sliced into strips
• 1 package of Applegate turkey bacon or other nitrate free turkey bacon (use regular, no sugar added bacon for keto)
• sliced pepper jack, sharp cheddar, or cheese of your choice
• 1 avocado
• olive oil spray
• garlic powder
• Himalayan salt (optional)

• Sprinkle chicken with some garlic powder and salt (you can leave the salt out to watch your sodium), then wrap each tenderloin with 1-2 pieces of bacon.  The smaller tenderloins work well with one, but if your tenderloins are bigger, you might need a second one or another half. The bacon should stay wrapped easily, but if you need to, use a toothpick to keep the bacon secure.
• Place chicken in your air fryer basket and spray with olive oil spray.  Cook at 370 for ten minutes, then carefully flip and cook at 390 for 8-10 more minutes or until bacon is crisp and chicken is cooked through.  Turn off air fryer.
• Place a half slice of cheese on top of your bacon wrapped chicken and leave in the air fryer basket (air fryer turned off) until it melts.
• Top with 1-2 T of sliced or diced avocado and enjoy!

And that’s it!  SO freaking easy and SOOOOO good.

What kind of toppings should I use for these bacon wrapped chicken tenders?

I love topping these bacon wrapped chicken tenders with Sargento Brand Southwest Cheese (not sponsored, just a BIG fan!) or any kind of thin, Pepper Jack Cheese, as long as it’s sliced thin for you 21 Day Fixers to keep the blue container in check. This would also be good with cheddar, Monterey jack or mozzarella!  Are you dairy free?  Just leave off the cheese!  They will still be delicious!

I also love to top these with some chopped avocado because, bacon, chicken, cheese, and avocado is a freaking dream combo friends.  You could also put a southwest spin on and add some fresh 21 Day Fix Homemade Salsa | Copy Cat Chipotle Pico de Gallo.

What air fryer model do you recommend?

Need an Air Fryer?  I wrote up a whole post to help you decide Which Air Fryer Should You Buy? | Which Air Fryer is Right for You?  There are a bunch of options at different price points!

What can I serve these bacon wrapped chicken tenders with?

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad {21 Day Fix}

21 Day Fix Mexican Street Corn Salad

Creamy Cole Slaw | The Foodie and The Fix

21 Day Fix Broccoli Slaw | Carrie Elle

Turnip Fries | My Crazy Good Life

More Recipes with Chicken Tenders:

21 Day Fix Krispie Baked Chicken

21 Day Fix Chicken Satay with Creamy Peanut Sauce

Instant Pot Chicken and Broccoli (21 Day Fix)

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders

• Author: Nancylynn
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Air Fryer | Oven
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

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Description

This Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders recipe is one of my husband’s new favorite meals!  Made with lean chicken breast tenders, turkey bacon, melted pepper jack cheese, and topped with avocado, it’s a flavor explosion.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb chicken tenderloins
• 1 package of Applegate turkey bacon or other nitrate free turkey bacon (for keto, use a no sugar pork bacon)
• sliced pepper jack, sharp cheddar, or cheese of your choice
• 1 avocado
• olive oil spray
• garlic powder
• Himalayan salt (optional)

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Instructions

Air Fryer

1. Sprinkle chicken with some garlic powder and salt (if desired, I usually leave it out), then wrap each tenderloin with 1-2 pieces of bacon.  The smaller tenderloins work well with one, but if your tenderloins are bigger, you might need a second one or another half. The bacon should stay wrapped easily, but if you need to, use a toothpick to keep the bacon secure.
2. Place chicken in your air fryer basket and spray with olive oil spray.  Cook at 370 for ten minutes, then carefully flip and cook at 390 for 8-10 more minutes or until bacon is crisp and chicken is cooked through. Turn off air fryer.
3. Place a half slice of cheese on top of your bacon wrapped chicken and leave in the air fryer basket (air fryer turned off) until it melts.
4. Top with 1-2 T of sliced or diced avocado and enjoy!

CrispLid

1. Follow Step 1 above to wrap the chicken.
2. Place chicken in the CrispLid basket and spray with olive oil spray.  Cook at 375 for ten minutes, then carefully flip and cook at 375 for 10 more minutes. If desired, you can bump the temp up to 400 for the last 3 minutes, or until bacon is crisp and chicken is cooked through. Remove CrispLid and place on rubber trivet.
3. Place a half slice of cheese on top of your bacon wrapped chicken and leave under the CrispLid (turned off) until it melts.
4. Top with 1-2 T of sliced or diced avocado and enjoy!

Notes

To cook in your oven:  preheat oven to 400.  Follow directions to wrap the chicken,  then place on a baking sheet (I line mine with parchment) and bake for 15 minutes and then flip.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is crisp.  Add the cheese for the last minute!

21 Day Fix Containers:  2 chicken tenders – 1.5 reds, .75 blue

Weight Watchers FS Points – 5 points for 2 chicken tenders

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 tenderloins

Keywords: Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, Air Fryer Chicken, Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders, 21 Day Fix Chicken Recipes, Keto Bacon Wrapped Chicken Tenders