Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps

Marinated chicken, crispy bacon, and a creamy southwest ranch sauce all wrapped up in a warm tortilla make for a delicious Southwest Chicken Wrap. These grilled chicken wraps are a great meal for groups of people or to make ahead and freeze.

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 fave. Look how easy they come together!

What’s in These Tasty Wraps?

A wrap is only as good as its ingredients so these are worth elaborating on a bit.

Grilled Chicken Tenders

Of all the marinades in the world, THIS Southwest Chicken Marinade is the one I make the most. Hands down. My kids love it. All adults love it. And it can be served any way you dream up–a la carte, in tacos or quesadillas, on top of a burrito bowl or salad. It has SO much flavor

For this recipe though, we are using chicken tenders. The longer you marinate the chicken, the better in my opinion. 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.

A few other ways to cook your chicken tenders:

• Bake in Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken 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. We have written a whole post about how long to cook chicken in the slow cooker here if you are interested in more information.
• 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. Snag our FREE Instant Pot Cooking Times Cheat Sheet here.

Creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce

This sauce is what takes the chicken wraps from good to great in my opinion. We have a homemade Creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce recipe here. If you’re looking for a shortcut, combine 1:1 ratio of salsa and store-bought ranch dressing. I do this all the time!

Bacon

I mean, bacon makes everything better, right? Use this no-fail way of cooking bacon in the oven to avoid all the mess of cooking on the stove!

Toppings

After these main ingredients, you’ll want to add your optional toppings. Some ideas include:

• Shredded cheese (Cheddar or a Mexican blend)
• Shredded lettuce
• Diced tomato
• Avocado slices
• Diced red onion

Can I Freeze Chicken Wraps?

Another beauty of this recipe is that you can double it and make one a freezer meal SO easily.

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.

I also think this would be a great meal to take to a new mom or someone in need of a dinner.

How to Serve Southwest Chicken Wraps

How to 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.

Kid Tip:  When my younger two kids weren’t into wraps and couldn’t hold onto a wrap yet, 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.