Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps
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Marinated and grilled chicken, crispy bacon, cheddar, creamy southwest ranch sauce, and fresh veggies are all wrapped up in a warm tortilla for the BEST Southwest Chicken Bacon Wraps ever. This is my go-to recipe to drop off to a friend in need or as a meal for groups of people.
This post is created in partnership with Hy-Vee Columbia.
We LOVE this meal!!! I have made it numerous times and everyone loves it!!! I feel like I am eating at a restaurant!!! Thank you for the great recipes!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Heidi
Ingredients Needed
A wrap is only as good as its ingredients, and these components pack a flavor punch. You’ll find all these ingredients at your local Hy-Vee (Columbia). I love their wide meat selection and fresh herbs for this recipe. They have you covered!
Ingredient Notes
- Grilled Southwest Chicken Tenders – Key #1 to how good these wraps are this chicken marinade. You can marinate and grill the chicken tenders ahead of time. Or you can take a shortcut and use rotisserie chicken instead.
- Crispy Bacon – Key #2 to this mouthwatering wrap! Try our oven baked bacon for an easy method.
- Southwest Ranch Sauce – Key #3 to making the best wrap of your life! You’ll want to double or triple this super easy sauce and use it for everything from salads to bowls to a veggie dip. So yummy!
- Flour tortillas – I try to go with a whole grain wrap since it’s a little healthier. My favorite brand is Stacy’s Organic Tortillas with all real food ingredients. If you want to go gluten-free, corn tortillas or gluten-free wraps or a large piece of sturdy lettuce will work.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – Try shredding your own cheese to avoid additives and for better texture.
- Shredded lettuce and tomato – I use a crisp Romaine or green leaf lettuce.
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How to Make a Southwest Chicken Wrap
Ready for the best chicken wraps of your life? Ok then, lez go…
Marinate Chicken
In a gallon-sized freezer bag or container, add the chicken to the Southwest Chicken Marinade. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours. (If you want to take a shortcut, use shredded rotisserie chicken from the store.)
Tip: This point in the recipe is the perfect time to prep the other ingredients. Bake bacon in the oven, make the Southwest Ranch Sauce, and chop your veggies, so it’s all ready to go.
Grill Chicken Tenders
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.
Assemble Wraps
Warm up the tortillas, if you’d like. To each tortilla, add some grilled chicken, bacon pieces, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and Creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce. Roll up like a burrito. Serve more Creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce on the side for dipping, if desired.
What to Serve with Southwest Chicken Wraps
Round out your meal with some of these side dishes.
How to Make It a Freezer Meal Kit
You can for sure make this into a freezer meal! Every time I make it, I double it and make one a freezer meal for another dinner. Your future self will thank you. 🙂
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.
This also makes a wonderful meal to prep ahead as a kit and take to someone in need. I also include some tortilla chips and Guacamole, Classic Fruit Salad, and Powerball Cookies for a semi-healthy and delicious meal.
Check out all our ideas for Freezer Meals for New Moms.
FAQs
Yes, simple swap out flour tortillas and use corn tortillas, gluten free tortillas, or large lettuce leaves instead.
Yes, either omit the cheese or use dairy-free “cheese” instead. You’ll also need to use a dairy-free “sour cream” or “plain yogurt” in the Southwest Ranch Sauce.
You can take a short cut by using shredded rotisserie chicken from the store. Or use chicken breasts or thighs in place of the chicken tenders in the marinade. However, be sure to pound out the breasts/thighs to 3/4 inch thick first so they cook evenly.
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Southwest Chicken and Bacon Wraps
This Southwest Chicken Wrap recipe with bacon is packed with flavor and a total crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds raw chicken tenders (see Cooking Notes for sub)
- 1 batch of Southwest Chicken Marinade
- 8 slices (about a half pound) bacon, fully cooked and crumbled (try our Oven Bacon recipe)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or Mexican blend cheese)
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 or 2 batches of Creamy Southwest Ranch Sauce
- 8 burrito-sized tortillas (For gluten-free, use a lettuce leaf, corn tortillas, or gluten-free tortillas.)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Marinate the Chicken: In a gallon-sized freezer bag or container, add the chicken to the Southwest Chicken Marinade. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours. Tip: This is the perfect time to prep the other ingredients like bake bacon in the oven, make the Southwest Ranch Sauce, and chop your veggies, so it’s all ready to go.
- Grill the Chicken: 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.
- Assemble the Wrap: Warm the tortillas per package instructions, if desired. 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 tenders in the Southwest Chicken Marinade, cooked bacon pieces, shredded cheese, and 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 Steps 2-3.
Notes/Tips
- Shortcut: Use shredded rotisserie chicken from the store in place of the marinated, grilled chicken tenders.
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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.
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How to Bake Chicken Tenders in Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, until done.
- Subbing Chicken Breasts or Thighs: Pound out chicken breasts or thighs to about 3/4 inch thick (or cut it in half lengthwise) to help with fast and even grilling. Or bake the full chicken breasts at 400°F for 20-25 minutes, until done.
- Where We Get Our Chicken and Bacon: 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. Read my ButcherBox review.
We LOVE this meal!!! I have made it numerous times and everyone loves it!!! I feel like I am eating at a restaurant!!! Thank you for the great recipes!!!
Yay! We love to hear this Heidi. Thank you for leaving a review.
These were a hit with my picky family. Adding avocado makes them even better!
I never thought of adding avocado, but I bet it is delish! Thanks for the tip Elisabeth!
I have a question — do you think I could cook the chicken & then freeze the already cooked chicken & include in the meal kit? Wanting to make it extra easy & quick for gifting a freezer meal to a family.
Hi Kristin. You can certainly do that. The cooked chicken will not last as long because freezing draws out the moisture. I’d probably make a note to use within 2-3 weeks of when you freeze it.
Family of 4 favorite! Makes the best freezer meal kit for busy week nights. Marinade is one of the best we have found!
Yes! Love to hear about family favorites. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
I was looking for recipes that would work for large gatherings so I tested this one on my family. They LOVED it! The marinade is awesome and I believe that I will use it again for other chicken recipes. Maybe adding green peppers and onions to the marinade and make fajitas. Thanks for a great recipe!
We love hearing that it worked well for your fam! Thanks for the idea of adding in peppers and onions to turn them into fajitas too.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! It is worth the time to make the marinade and southwest sauce. It was a hit for the whole family!
Awesome, Jenn! One of our faves, too. Thanks for leaving a review!
We had this for dinner tonight. It was simple and delicious. The sauce kind of had a cool ranch Doritos flavor and I really liked it. The chicken was good too.
Simple and delicious! This was my first time making this recipe. I let the chicken marinate overnight and cooked on the stove tonight. The chicken was moist and had a nice flavor. The addition of bacon gave it just the right amount of salt. The ranch mixture was nummy on top of all of it. This one is going in the rotation!
Thanks for the review and feedback, Morgan. So glad you enjoyed this recipe and I am going to use the word “nummy” much more often from here on out. 🙂
These were SOOOOOOOO GOOOOOD!!
Thanks for the review, Sarah! We agree. 🙂
these are SO good!!! They taste like a ‘sandwich shop’ sammie, but definitely easy enough to make at home!
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.