Perfect as an appetizer or a main dish, these delicious bacon wrapped chicken bites are sweet and savory and simply fabulous.

Please meet my new favorite appetizer. Main dish. Snack. Whatever. Simply fabulous, these bacon-wrapped chicken bites are perfect anytime, anywhere you want to serve them.

Not just bacon and chicken, these tasty morsels are first seasoned with a zesty mix of herbs and spices and then the entire wrapped package is dredged in a mix of chili powder and brown sugar…and…I mean, you see where I’m going with this, right?

A white platter of bacon-wrapped chicken bites.

It’s like the most brilliant and delicious marriage of sweet and savory and a little heat and lots of flavor. And bacon, too, of course.

We ate these (ok, devoured these) one night for dinner. I don’t honestly remember what I even served them with. Everything else paled in comparison.

As Sally says (my sweet blogger friend who inspired me with these), this recipe quite possibly could be the key to winning just about anyone over.

I actually know real, live people who’ve eaten this amazing bacon-wrapped chicken at Sally’s house and I tell you, I’ve never heard anyone gush over food like they do when asked about the bacon chicken thingies.

I admit to kind of rolling my eyes until I actually made them myself. Gush. You’ll gush. I promise.

PS: If you didn’t see the post yesterday, be sure to check out the two new video tips I added just in time for all the chocolate being melted around the world this time of year. 

A fork picking up a bacon-wrapped chicken bite off of a plate of bites.

One Year Ago: Licorice Caramels and a Simple Step-by-Step Paper Cone {Sugar Rush Gift Edition #5}
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Shortbread Fingers
Three Years Ago: Hot Pizza Dip Bites

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Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

4.62 stars (52 ratings)

Ingredients

  • 2-3 pounds boneless skinless, chicken breasts or chicken tenders
  • 16-ounce package sliced bacon, thick cut or regular
  • cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon thyme
  • ¼ – ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If you have it, place an uncoated metal cooling rack inside a foil-lined large rimmed baking sheet and lightly coat with cooking spray. If not, line a baking pan or broiling pan with foil and lightly grease with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Cut the chicken breasts into large bite-sized pieces. If using chicken tenders, cut them in half (you can fold over the chicken tender pieces when wrapping so they’ll be thicker). Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl and toss with the salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder and red pepper. Let it hang out while preparing the rest of the ingredients (you can cover and refrigerate up to a day).
  • In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and chili powder together. Cut the entire slab of bacon into thirds.
  • Wrap each chicken piece with small strip of bacon and holding tightly, dredge them in the brown sugar/chili powder mixture. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet (or rack set inside the baking sheet). If the bacon isn’t staying put, you can secure with a toothpick.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the chicken is cooked through. Flip it once if the chicken is laying directly on the baking sheet. Serve immediately.

Notes

Seasonings: one of the keys to this chicken being incredible is making sure the chicken itself is good and seasoned before wrapping the bacon around it so don’t skimp on the seasonings you add to the chicken in the bowl, especially the salt and pepper. I may even consider adding a light sprinkle of salt and pepper over the chicken/bacon right before it bakes next time.
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 677kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 58g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 195mg, Sodium: 1204mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Sally at Good Dinner Mom