Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps – A Parent and Kid Favorite!
Bacon, marinated grilled chicken, two kinds of cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes wrapped in a tortilla with ranch salsa sauce. What’s not to love about the Southwest Bacon and Chicken Wrap?
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
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Southwest Chicken Marinade (see recipe below)
- Southwest Ranch Sauce (see recipe below)
- 8 pieces bacon, baked or fried, crumbled
- ½ cup cheddar cheese (could sub Mexican cheese blend)
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese (could sub Pepper Jack or Mexican cheese blend)
- shredded lettuce
- tomatoes, diced
- 6–8 whole wheat tortillas
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the marinade (see recipe below). Add the chicken. Marinate chicken for 1 hour or longer in fridge.
- Grill over medium-high heat 6 to 7 minutes per side, until chicken is cooked through (no longer pink inside).
- Let meat rest and then slice into long, thin pieces.
- To assemble wrap: Add grilled chicken pieces, bacon pieces, some of each kind of cheese, shredded lettuce, and tomatoes to each tortilla. Roll up like a burrito. Dip in Southwest Ranch Sauce (see recipe below) or add inside the wrap.
Southwest Chicken Marinade:
- Combine all the ingredients below in a large ziplock bag and shake:1/3 cup oil, 1/3 cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder,1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
Southwest Ranch Sauce:
- Combine all the ingredients below in a glass jar or bowl for the Southwest Ranch Sauce: About 1/2 cup ranch dressing and about 1/2 cup salsa
Notes
Freezer Meal Instructions:
To Freeze:
Package the following items individually in freezer bags and freeze them: uncooked chicken in the marinade, cooked bacon pieces, cheese, ranch salsa, and tortillas.
To Prepare:
When ready to eat: Thaw everything overnight in the fridge. Then, grill the chicken, cut it up, and chop up fresh lettuce and tomatoes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6-8 wraps
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.