Chicken Bacon Roll-Ups

When you need a quick snack or are having people over, making roll-ups with whatever meat, cheese or vegetables you have on hand is always a good decision. These chicken bacon roll-ups are the perfect party appetizer recipe, with make-ahead ease and a combination of creamy, spicy, crispy, and meaty tastes and textures.

Garden vegetable cream cheese serves as the savory base to bind canned chicken, smoky crumbled bacon and tangy salsa together. Spread the mixture on flour tortillas, roll them up tight, refrigerate and slice into pinwheels. This recipe is as simple as that. Serve them with salsa (store-bought or homemade easy salsa both work) for dunking and an assortment of dips for a crowd, and you have a complete spread you can pull together in no time.

These roll-ups have only five ingredients, but you can add a few more to make the recipe your own. Turn it into a chicken, bacon and ranch dish by mixing ranch seasoning or creamy ranch dressing into the filling. Add shredded cheese or chopped deli meats, or shake in hot sauce or spices from your pantry for subtle changes to the flavor. Take them to your next potluck or set them out for a pre-dinner snack everyone will love.

Chicken Bacon Roll-Up Ingredients

• Canned chunk white chicken
• Spreadable garden vegetable cream cheese
• Salsa
• Ready-to-serve fully cooked bacon
• Flour tortillas

Directions

Step 1: Make the filling

Mix the chicken, cream cheese, 1/2 cup salsa and the bacon.

Editor’s Tip: Make sure the chicken is well drained to prevent your roll-ups from becoming wet and mushy.

Step 2: Assemble the roll-ups

Spread the filling over the tortillas. Roll up tightly and wrap.

Step 3: Refrigerate, slice and serve

Refrigerate for at least one hour. Just before serving, unwrap and cut the tortillas into 1-inch slices. Serve with the remaining salsa.

Editor’s Tip: Use a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion to slice the roll-ups without flattening or tearing them. Allow the sharpness of the blade and the weight of the knife rather than force to do most of the work.

How to Store Chicken Bacon Roll-Ups

Store chicken bacon roll-ups in airtight food storage containers in the refrigerator. They need to chill for at least one hour to firm up enough to slice, but you can store them in the fridge for up to four days. They will hold together better if you store them rolled but not sliced.

Chicken Bacon Roll-Up Tips

How do you keep roll-ups from becoming soggy?

To keep the roll-ups from becoming soggy, properly drain the canned chicken and avoid adding too much salsa to the filling. You want just enough cream cheese and salsa to make the filling spreadable. Any more than that and you risk wet tortillas.

Can you make this chicken bacon roll-ups recipe without cream cheese?

Instead of cream cheese, you can use other spreads, such as hummus, guacamole, arugula pesto, red pepper tapenade or even tzatziki to hold the ingredients together. Adjust the amount you use, depending on the consistency of the spread, so the chicken is well coated but not saturated.

How can you prevent chicken bacon roll-ups from unraveling?

Spread the cream cheese mixture all the way to the edge of the tortilla, roll it tightly, and press down firmly on the seal to secure the edge and prevent the roll-ups from coming apart. With its thick, almost adhesive-like quality, cream cheese binds the filling and tortillas together. Wrapping the chicken and bacon roll-ups before refrigerating them is also key to helping them hold their shape.