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    Home » Recipes » Smoked Recipes

    Smoked Chicken Tenders – 3 Ways!

    By: Jessica · Posted: Nov 17, 2024 · Updated: Mar 12, 2025 · This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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    Jump to Recipe 8 comments
    5 from 15 votes

    Smoked Chicken Tenders: 1 way to cook, 3 ways to season! You choose which rub to use and let the smoker be the hero of flavor!

    Smoked Chicken Tenders Recipe

     

    When you can cook something SO easy, like chicken on a smoker… mixing up the seasonings can add variety to your meal planner even when you’re cooking the same things over and over again.

    I can’t wait to share with you our favorite ways to season chicken tenderloins below.

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    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
    • Recipe FAQs
    • How to Make Smoked Chicken Tenders
    • Dipping Sauces for Chicken
    • More Cook “Out” Recipes
    • Side Dishes for Chicken
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    All types of chicken can be made on the smoker: breasts, legs, wings, thighs, and even whole chickens. But even after trying almost all of these, chicken tenders may just be my absolute favorite. For a few reasons…

    Chicken tenders cook much faster, they’re juicy (when cooked on the smoker) and they’re easy to wrap bacon around!

    Three Favorite Ways to Season

    There are MANY different ways that you can season chicken and no matter which one we choose that day, a “must” for us is to start by wrapping bacon around each piece of chicken. And if you have time, letting your chicken sit in this amazing chicken brine is an extra bonus of flavor!

    However, when it comes to the “rub” or “seasoning” we’ve found that we have 3 different favorite ways…

    • With Strawberry’s BBQ Seasoning
      (We fell in love with this a long time ago and use it on SO much. It’s hard to find in the store but you can find it online, and I doubt you’ll regret it.)
    • Brown Sugar Garlic Rub – it’s hard to go wrong with brown sugar and garlic on chicken that’s wrapped in bacon. It uses easy ingredients that are typically “on-hand” and it’s a crowd favorite.
      You can find this recipe option in the recipe card below
    • The “Braxton” Rub – this is the homemade rub that we always use on the beef tenderloin recipe but we like using it on chicken too!
      You’ll see that this is the spice rub that we used in the photos and recipe card below!

    No matter which seasoning or “rub” that you choose to use on the chicken, the cook temperature and time will remain the same for this recipe.

    Recipe FAQs

    How long does it take to smoke chicken at 225°?

    Chicken cooked at 225° needs to be cooked at least 1 hour and possibly 1.5 hours, or until it reached the internal temperature of 165°.

    How do you smoke chicken without drying it out?

    Cooking it on “low” (for example, at 225°) and “slow” will help keep your chicken moist. But also wrapping it in bacon helps and also adds an amazing flavor.

    What is the best wood for smoking chicken?

    Hickory pellets (or wood) works amazing for chicken but feel free to use a different flavor if that’s what you have on hand.

    How to Make Smoked Chicken Tenders

    If smoking meat isn’t something you’re familiar with, no worries because this is one of the easiest recipes!

    Smoker Temperature

    Preheat the smoker to 225°.

    Spice Blend

    Mix together a spice blend of your choice. (You’ll see the three recipes or seasonings you can use below for a guide if you prefer.)

    Spice mixture and rub for chicken tenders

    Uncooked Chicken Tenderloins

    To make it easy to season, place the chicken in a single layer on a large dish. I usually buy the 2 pound package of tenderloins for our family of four and do occasionally have a few leftovers to use in a salad recipe the next day.

    uncooked, raw chicken tenders

    Season

    You can season the chicken before wrapping with bacon, after or both. How much will depend on if you’re seasoning only once or both.

    seasoned chicken tenders

    Wrap with Bacon

    If you REALLY like bacon like we do, wrapping one full piece of bacon (we really like the “thick-cut” but “regular cut” bacon holds better) around each chicken tender is delicious. However, if you don’t have enough or want just a small piece of bacon on each piece, it can be cut in half.

    Wrap the chicken with bacon, and if needed, secure with a toothpick.

    wrap chicken tenders in bacon

    If you choose to season again, this is the time to season.

    Note: Seasoning too much can actually happen, especially if using a salty blend.

    Smoked Chicken Tenders Seasoned

    Smoke at 225° for One Hour until Internal Temp is 165°

    Place tenders on smoker racks, not touching one another, and cook at 225° for 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°.

    Pellet Smoker Chicken Tenders

    Serve

    When tenderloins reach 165°, remove from smoker and serve!

    Smoked Chicken Tenderloins

    Dipping Sauces for Chicken

    Although these are flavorful just as they are, and don’t NEED a dipping sauce, sometimes it just sends things over the top! Here are dipping sauce ideas that you can serve with it:

    • ranch or jalapeno ranch dressing
    • honey mustard
    • bbq sauce
    • homemade teriyaki sauce
    • Chick-fil-A sauce
    Smoked Chicken Tenders

    Smoked recipes are some of our favorites around here because when you can “set it” and almost forget it… we can work on the other side dishes and desserts to go along with dinner! If you’re new to smoking meats, I have no doubt that you’ll feel the same way!

    More Cook “Out” Recipes

    “Cookout” recipes don’t actually have to be cooked outside to have the same vibe! These baked pork steaks are an absolute winner and perfect even if you don’t have a grill!

    But if you do want to cook “out”, here are some of our favorite recipes for the grill:

    • Chipotle Ribs
    • Grilled Tenderloin
    • Grilled Deer Steaks

    Side Dishes for Chicken

    With a main dish as easy as this, it makes sense to keep the side dishes just as easy!

    Here are some great side dishes to go with this recipe:

    • Close up of old fashioned sausage gravy poured across biscuits, sitting on a white plate.
      Old Fashioned Sausage Gravy
    • Chicken salad with grapes and apples, sitting on bread.
      Chicken Salad with Grapes and Apples
    • Fiesta Ranch potato wedges on plate next to a small bowl of ranch dressing.
      Fiesta Ranch Baked Potato Wedges
    • Chicken macaroni salad in a bowl.
      The BEST Chicken Macaroni Salad

    Did You Make This?
    Snap a pic and hashtag it #Fantabulosity — I love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook.

    Recipe

    Smoked chicken tenders on parchment paper and baking sheet.

    Smoked Chicken Tenders

    Jessica Burgess
    Smoked Chicken Tenders with 3 chicken rub seasoning recipe options! Simply season, wrap in bacon and smoke!
    5 from 15 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 146 kcal

    Equipment

    • smoker

    Ingredients

    • 14 uncooked chicken tenderloins (almost 2 pounds)
    • 12 ounces bacon

    Braxton Rub Spice Blend Option

    • 2 Tablespoons dried thyme
    • 2 Tablespoons dried rosemary
    • 1.5 Tablespoons paprika
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper

    For Brown Sugar Garlic Spice Blend Option

    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon paprika optional
    • 1 teaspoon oregano optional
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat smoker to 225°
    • Wrap each piece of chicken with one piece of bacon, securing with a toothpick if needed.
    • Season chicken with desired "rub" recipe above. (See notes in blog posts for options)
    • Cook chicken on smoker at 225° for 1 to 1.5 hours or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°.
    • Remove from smoker and serve! (See post for dipping sauce ideas and side dish recipe suggestions!)

    Notes

    See blog post for tips and our 3 favorite ways to season chicken! Plus tips for making these the BEST chicken tenders we’ve ever had!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2tenders | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 491mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 969IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 3mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

    Keywords chicken tenderloins, smoked chicken
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Comments

      5 from 15 votes (11 ratings without comment)

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    1. Lisalia says

      January 24, 2021 at 8:24 pm

      5 stars
      There can NEVER be too much bacon!! lol. What a delicious recipe. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        January 25, 2021 at 7:05 pm

        Hahahaha!! Ok ok, I feel the exact same way! 🙂 Thank you for the comment and review! XO

        Reply
    2. wilhelmina says

      January 24, 2021 at 9:53 am

      5 stars
      These smoked tenders are incredible! I loved how much flavor the bacon added! We went with the Braxton rub because, in my opinion, chicken and rosemary is a match made in Heaven!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        January 24, 2021 at 10:07 am

        Ooooh, I totally agree!! Thank you so much for letting us know what you thought!

        Reply
    3. Trang says

      January 23, 2021 at 11:41 pm

      5 stars
      So good! The bacon is the best finishing touch!

      Reply
      • Jessica says

        January 24, 2021 at 10:06 am

        Thank you! Yes!! Bacon MAKES these I believe!

        Reply
        • Dan says

          May 29, 2023 at 1:36 pm

          5 stars
          Awesome recipe. I used 3 different rubs I had around. I ended up putting them under the broil for a few minutes. I like my bacon really crispy. This will definitely be in my rotation😁

          Reply
          • Jessica says

            May 30, 2023 at 4:31 pm

            So glad you liked these smoked chicken tenders, Dan! That’s a great idea to put them under the broiler to crisp up the bacon more. Thanks for sharing!

            Reply

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    Jessica Burgess of Fantabulosity, slicing an avocado.

    Hi, I'm Jessica! - Owner and Creator of the blog and brand, Fantabulosity.

    I’m here to teach you how to make quick and easy recipes, using simple ingredients, that your family will love.

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