Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps
Bacon, marinated grilled chicken, a cheese blend, lettuce, and tomatoes wrapped in a tortilla with ranch salsa sauce. What’s not to love about the Southwest Bacon and Chicken Wrap?
Disclaimer: We are an affiliate of ButcherBox and have included links in this post.
This recipe began with an attempt to recreate one of our family’s favorite dishes from one of our favorite local restaurants. We were pretty excited to discover that it holds its own with our local fav! A few other advantages is that this works well for a make-ahead freezer meal and it’s kid-friendly (see tips below)!
Kid Tip: My younger two kids aren’t into wraps and can’t hold onto a wrap yet. So, I used the cheese, chicken, and bacon and made them a quesadilla instead. My 5-year-old, however, loved making his own wrap. I just nuked it for about 20 seconds to melt the cheese so it would hold together and not fall into his lap.
Freezer Tip: This recipe made our “Home Run” list for our freezer club, meaning everyone voted to have it again. Obviously, you can’t freeze the lettuce or tomato, but I packaged the following items individually in freezer bags and froze them: uncooked marinated chicken, cooked bacon pieces, cheese, ranch salsa, and tortillas. After thawing everything, all I had to do was grill the chicken, cut it up, and cut up the veggies. Easy-peasy.
Bacon Tip: Use this no-fail way of cooking bacon to avoid all the mess!
Now that you’re all “tipped up”, time to try out this family-pleasing recipe, eh?
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PinDescription
Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps are packed with flavor and a family favorite in the making.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or you can use chicken tenders)
- 1 batch of Southwest Chicken Marinade
- 8 slices (about a half pound) bacon, fully cooked and crumbled (try our No Fail Bacon method)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (or shredded cheddar)
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomatoes
- 1 or 2 batches of Creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce (sub: combine 1:1 ratio of salsa and store-bought Ranch Dip)
- 8 burrito-sized whole wheat tortillas
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Marinate the Chicken: In a gallon-sized freezer bag or container, add the chicken to the Southwest Chicken Marinade. (Freezing instructions begin here.) Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours.
- Grill the Chicken: Pound out chicken breasts to about 3/4 inch thick (or cut it in half lengthwise) to help with fast and even grilling. Preheat grill to medium-high heat and clean the grates well. Grill for about 4-5 minutes per side, maybe longer depending on the thickness, until done. Chicken is done when it registers 165°F internally or has no more pink inside. Let chicken rest on a cutting board and then dice into bite-sized pieces. (See other ways to cook your chicken in notes below.)
- Assemble the Wrap: To each tortilla, add some grilled chicken, bacon pieces, 2 tablespoons shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons Creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce. Roll up like a burrito. Serve more Creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce on the side for dipping, if desired.
Freeze For Later: Package the following items individually in freezer bags and freeze them together as a kit:
- uncooked chicken in the Southwest Chicken Marinade
- cooked bacon pieces
- shredded cheese
- tortillas (Here are tips for freezing tortillas.)
Prepare From Frozen: You’ll need Creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce, shredded lettuce, and diced tomatoes on hand to complete this meal. Thaw the meal kit in the refrigerator overnight. Follow the recipe beginning with Step 2.
COOKING NOTES:
How to Know If Chicken Is Done: Chicken is done when it reaches 165°F internal temperature. (A digital meat thermometer is a must to help cook chicken perfectly.)
Other Ways to Cook Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts:
- Bake in Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes, until done.
- Slow Cooker: Place chicken and marinade in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Really! That’s all it takes to get it done, otherwise you’ll overcook and dry it out.
- Instant Pot: Place chicken, marinade, and 1/3 cup chicken broth in a 6 quart Instant Pot. (Note: If using an 8 quart, double the marinade and broth amount.) Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and use a quick release of the pressure when the cook time is up. (Note: It will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before the cook time starts.)
Notes
We get our meat from ButcherBox. The bacon is uncured, contains no sugar, and is absolutely delicious! The chicken is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat and have used it for years ourselves.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 wraps
do you think this would hold up if made the night before for lunch the next day?
Yes, I think that should work just fine!
What else made the freezer meal “home run” list?
Good question! I highlighted some of the best in this article: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/10-easy-healthy-make-ahead-dinners-that-your-family-will-love/
I’m a total noob when it comes to freezer meals. Could you cook the chicken and then freeze it?
★★★★
You could do either. We like to freeze it in the marinade uncooked. That way it is fresh after you thaw it and then cook it. But you could also cook it up, freeze it and then just warm it up when you want to eat it. Does that help?
These were great! We added avocado to ours and left out the tomatoes. Thanks! I love doubling these and saving half for a busy night. We have tried the Chicken Veggie Rice Casserole, the Burrito Pie, Asian Wraps, and Herb Chicken Burgers, and all were delicious. Thank you!
I’m honored you tried so many of my recipes. The ones you mentioned are all staples for our Freezer Club. My kids especially love these and the Chicken Burgers (which we had last night). So happy to be able to help another home cook!
I’m seriously thinking about proposing these at my next Freezer Club meeting this Sunday!
Flat Branch. Oh the memories. That's the last place we consumed a meal; my dissertation adviser treated after I passed my defense. Mmmmm.