The Grilled Chicken Tender Upgrade That Will Make You Forget About Breading

A few things go into making the perfect chicken tender: The correct ratio of breading to chicken (more of the latter than the former), just enough seasoning without leaning too heavy in any one spice direction, tender white meat chicken, and a perfectly crispy exterior. To achieve that last component, chicken tenders are typically deep fried after being coated in layers of egg and a flour-based mixture of some sort. But there's a hack to achieve perfect chicken tenders that requires neither breading nor frying and still results in a crispy outer layer: Wrap your chicken in bacon.

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To do this, all you need is one piece of bacon per strip of chicken. Wrap the bacon around the tender, aiming to cover as much of the chicken as possible. You can grill the tenders over medium heat, turning them frequently, until the chicken is cooked through and the bacon is at your desired level of crispiness, which should take just under 15 minutes. But you can also place them on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet and throw them in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for around half an hour. Or, simply whip out your air fryer, heat it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and enjoy bacon-wrapped chicken strips in about 10 minutes.

Double the protein, double the satisfaction

This meaty twist on your typical grilled chicken or crispy oven-baked tenders recipe ditches the carbs while giving you twice the meat and twice the flavor, with no sacrifice in the fried texture you know and love. Other ways to achieve the perfect exterior without deep frying are to coat your chicken tenders in one store-bought ingredient, Italian breadcrumbs, or use potato chips. Yes, your favorite snack food is key to super crispy chicken tenders.

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If you choose to go the bacon route, you can play around with the seasonings you put on your chicken before wrapping it. Salt and pepper will do just fine, but you can try chili powder for a kick or even a touch of maple sugar for complementary sweetness. Bacon and ranch make the ultimate combo, so maybe try dusting the chicken strips in ranch seasoning (or just serve the stuff as a dip with the finished product). If this main course still isn't rich enough, slide a slice of cheese between the chicken and the bacon layer; just prepare to make it that way for the rest of the time — it's that good.

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