These Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites are the best sweet and savory appetizer the whole family will love. They are completely addictive and make a perfect snack for game day, after school or to bring to any type of party.
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Chicken Wrapped in Bacon Bites
Once you’ve tried these Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites, you’ll wonder where these bite sized pieces of heaven have been all your life. They are made by taking pieces of bacon, wrapping them around small pieces of chicken breast, dunking in seasoned brown sugar and baking until caramelized. You'll be popping these bad boys like candy!
We’ve included serving suggestions, tips and tricks, and even information on how to store and reheat for later. Get ready to memorize this great recipe because we guarantee people will be asking you to make it again!
Serving Suggestions
You will be more than fine serving these as is, however it’s always nice to have a dipping sauce. Our store bought favorites are BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. If you want to mix something up, go ahead and try:
Ingredients in Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
- Chicken - we like to use boneless and skinless chicken breast, but you can also use chicken thigh and it will turn out just as delicious.
- Bacon - you can use your favorite kind of bacon. Any will work great, as long as you cut each slice into 3 smaller pieces.
- Chili Powder - you can use chili powder, or even cayenne powder if you want to kick it up a notch. Another great spice to use is a touch of garlic powder, along with a little bit of salt and pepper.
- Brown Sugar - we like to use light brown sugar, but dark brown will work just as well.
- Toothpicks - any type of wooden toothpick will work - just don’t try and bake the plastic ones! You can soak them in water for about 10 minutes just before using if you are at all nervous about baking them dry.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
- Wrap in bacon. Cut each slice of bacon into thirds, then wrap a piece of bacon around each piece of chicken and secure with a toothpick through the center.
- Toss in brown sugar mixture. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder (or cayenne pepper) with the brown sugar and then toss each bacon wrapped chicken piece in the brown sugar mixture.
- Bake. Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat with all of the pieces of chicken. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the sugar mixture has caramelized.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and let cool for a couple of minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks for Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
- Cutting the bacon into thirds ensures that it will get nice and crispy, as does making sure they aren’t touching on the sheet pan.
- You can also bake these in a baking dish if you’d prefer. That way you can skip the parchment paper.
- If you place them seam side down, you can also likely get away with not using toothpicks. It’s up to you!
- If you are hesitant about putting wooden toothpicks in the oven, you can always pre soak them in water for 10 minutes, then drain on paper towels before using.
- To make these even spicier, add cayenne powder instead of chili powder. These also taste great with a few pinches of garlic powder, salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Storing and Reheating
Refrigerate: once baked, these Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days as long as they are kept in an airtight container.
Reheat: preheat your oven 350 degrees and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through.
Freeze: you can actually freeze unbaked smokies. Just wrap in bacon and store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Once you are ready to bake, remove them from the freezer and immediately toss in the brown sugar mixture. Bake as directed, adding about 5-7 minutes to the total cooking time.
More Easy Chicken Appetizer Recipes
- Frank’s Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Oven-Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Garlic Parmesan Wings
- Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken Taquitos
- Green Chile Chicken Taquitos
- Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
- Honey Soy Chicken
- Galric Parmesan Drumsticks
If you're looking for some more football food or crowd-pleasing recipes, be sure to check out this fun list of favorite appetizers and if you're looking for more appetizers, here's a list of more we came up with.
Recipe: Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Breast cut into 1" chunks
- 1 lb Bacon each slice cut into 3 smaller pieces
- ½-3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ tsp Chili Powder or cayenne pepper for more heat
- Toothpicks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut each slice of bacon into thirds, then wrap a piece of bacon around each piece of chicken and secure with a toothpick through the center.
- In a small bowl, combine the chili powder (or cayenne pepper) with the brown sugar and then toss each bacon wrapped chicken piece in the brown sugar mixture.
- Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat with all of the pieces of chicken. Bake in a preheated degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy and the sugar mixture has caramelized.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a couple of minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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These Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites are sweet, savory and completely addicting. They are made by taking pieces of bacon, wrapping them around bite-sized pieces of chicken breast, dunking in seasoned brown sugar and baking until caramelized. You really can’t go wrong!
Katie
I love this as the perfect appetizer for parties or game days. Everyone loves it too!
The Carefree Kitchen
Hooray!
Taryn
We loved the little bit of heat using cayenne gave!
The Carefree Kitchen
So glad you loved it!