Bacon Chicken Bites are a perfect appetizer for any occasion! A mixture of sweet caramelized brown sugar and the spicy heat of cayenne pepper round out the savory and sweet tones to perfection! In case you want some more options for delicious appetizers, try my Bacon Cheeseburger Meatballs and hot Jalapeno Corn Dip!
Bacon Chicken Bites
The key to mastering this ah-mazing little appetizer is to purchase the appropriate bacon. I know what you are thinking. Isn’t all bacon “appropriate”? Yes, I believe we are on the same page in terms of bacon always being an acceptable food option. However, if you are going to make this particular appetizer, I would strongly suggest getting the best quality bacon you can find. The juices of the chicken and the bacon blend together and amp the spices of these chicken wrapped bacon bites and take them to a whole new level.
How to Season Bacon Chicken Bites
These bacon wrapped chicken bites are seriously mouth watering. After the first bite, I had to break it down to understand what was happening to make them so delicious. The first thing, bacon, we have already discussed. I believe what happens is that the fat renders from the bacon and seeps into all of the seasonings and naturally carmelizes the brown sugar.
The cayenne pepper does its job just subtly enough to create a little heat behind the sweetness. It is honestly magical what happens with these little guys.
To make the perfect seasoning you only need:
- brown sugar
- chili powder
- paprika
- cayenne pepper
- onion powder–Make your own homemade onion powder for this recipe!
- garlic powder
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites Tips
If you happen to only have thick cut bacon, you are going to want to pre-cook the bacon just a little. I would suggest a 5-10 minute headstart. The reason you will want to do this is that otherwise, you may overcook the chicken. You want to give the chicken ample time to cook, but you need to match the timing up. If you go with regular, thin bacon, no need to precook them at all. Just pop them in all together.
Looking for more Chicken Recipes?
Check out some of my favorites!
Slow Cooker Chicken and Mushrooms
Cheesy Bacon Chicken with Mustard Sauce
Looking for more Appetizer Recipes?
Be sure to try some of our other favorites appetizers!
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites are a perfect appetizer for any occasion! A mixture of sweet caramelized brown sugar and the spicy heat of cayenne pepper round out the savory and sweet tones to perfection!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless, chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
- 1.5 pound package good quality bacon
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F.
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Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes.
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Cut each bacon slice in half.
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Wrap each chicken cube with bacon.
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In a medium mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
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Dredge the wrapped chicken in mixture. (We did not use toothpicks, but if your bacon is falling off you can skewer them.) Place on foil-lined baking pan.
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Bake for 25 minutes and then flip the bites over. Bake for another 10 minutes or until bacon is crispy.
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IF YOU USED THICK BACON and PRECOOKED THE BACON they only need to cook for 25 minutes. Still turn them over halfway through cooking.
Recipe Video
DID YOU MAKE Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites?
I want to hear about it! Take a picture and tag me on Instagram or on Facebook. I would love to see your finished product! Make sure to tag me @iamhomesteader or hashtag #iamhomesteader, or both!
looks good try tomorrow
Mine carmelized, got black and hard, smoked up my kitchen and set the smoke detectors off!! Not the desired outcome! I went backed and checked and I followed the recipe correctly.
Use parchment paper I assure you it won’t burn
In the oven?
I’m making them Sunday ( wish me luck )
To the one who’s burned.::try using parchment paper instead of foil
Julie,
Thank you! Without your suggestion tonight would have been an outrageous mess.
Did you use any dipping sauce? We are making this for the super bowl!
We didn’t but you could pair this with a bbq sauce or a ranch dressing and it would be amazing!
Im thinking honey mustard for dipping…or kicken chicken sause..bourbon glaze sause n even jack daniels sause ..all recipes r online..
I made these for the Superbowl this year and they were a huge hit at the party! They were delicious!
Thank you so much for the recipe. My husband loves it.
I made theses bacon wrapped chicken bites tonight after seeing the recipes this morning while browsing Pinterest. They were delicious, I used not quite a tablespoon of chilli in mine, but used all the other measures, still had a good bit of heat in them, I used smoked speck around mine, which crisped up beautifully, would be great to take along to share with friends at a BBQ or get together, I used a toothpick to hold them together, makes it easier to eat when hot off the oven tray. Will be making them again very soon. Thanks Amanda for sharing the recipe on Pinterest.
Regards Sandra W
I just made them and it came out wonderful and it taste very good you have to try delicious
I’m going to try this but was wondering why not dredge the chicken in the sauces before wrapping them in bacon.
I dipped -the bacon and chicken in melted butter and then dipped it into the mix……awesome result!!
My husband loves it! Thank you fornthe recipe
Can you make ahead of time. Then bake before guest.
You could, but I would try to keep them warm.
Easily made, I glazed in bbq
SO YUMMY
I have made essentially same recipe for several years. Only change is I use chicken tenderloins and wrap in full slice of bacon. Always a request at potlucks.
Do I need to toothpick them? Otherwise, how do they stay wrapped through dipping and cooking?
You can use a toothpick but we found that it worked out well without one too!
The bacon wrapped chicken bites sound just fantastic. I am salivating just reading the recipe, do not need to taste them to know how good they will be.
In England UK we make some thing similar called pigs in blankets variation being sausage of your choice wrapped in bacon never thought to add spices also. Thank you very much for giving me new inspirations.
This looks like a great idea the only thing I’d do is grind bacon intomni bits and add to coating to save time
Wonder if I could use Lit’L Smokies smoked sausage instead of chicken?
Another delicious looking recipe that is choke full of sugar and undiabetic friendly.
OK?
Use Swerve brown sugar or mix a tiny bit of black strap molasses in your favorite sugar substitute & I’ll bet it would work fine. No need to leave a rude comment; just make it work for you!
Thanks for a great appetizer recipe that is EASY to modify for low carb! 😘
I made these the other day. My husband and I loved them. He thought the bacon could of been crispier. I cooked them for the amount of time suggested. My bacon was thin. I was wondering if I could bake them on a rack on top of a cookie sheet pan, so they wouldn’t be sitting in a lot of grease. I also had some chicken left but no bacon so I dredged the chicken in the seasoning and baked them. They were also very good.
They were great kids loved!! I used my air fryer and took 14 mins.
New to this way of eating. 1 C of brown sugar is a LOT of carbs. What is the kind you used?
Really really over the top delicious! I ve made them 3 times …after the first batch we made them a bit more spicy by adding more cayenne, but everyone absolutely loved them! We kept them hot in a slow cooker…even took them to a pot luck that way….You just try to eat only one….impossible!
The slow did not dry them out?
For a dipping sauce, I think it would be good with a Jack Daniel sauce. They make a teriyaki marinade which can be cooked down. Yummy
Made these when the wife was working late, she loved them and took half into work next day. I couldn’t believe how mush juice can out, had to dump the pan before I turned them. Will definitely do these again.
I made these today for my book club and they couldn’t get enough of them! I can foresee that I will be making these for every pot luck type of gathering I attend for a long time to come!
I used foil and they came out perfect!! Super delicious!
it does not say the temp. for the oven?
It’s #1 in the directions.
These are delicious! I sprinkled a little more of the brown sugar mixture on top because I wanted a little more coating. Also I used parchment paper instead of aluminum foil for less stickiness