Make these Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites for your next gathering! They're a sweet and savory appetizer the whole family will love!
Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
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I am all over a tasty, meaty appetizer, especially for game day celebrations! If you're like me, and also love meat, you'll be all over these bacon wrapped chicken bites. Pieces of savory bacon wrapped chicken breast pieces with plenty of caramelized brown sugar to give you that whole sweet-and-salty-vibe we all know and love. What's not to like?
Now my longtime readers probably remember my Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Cocktail Wienies. Around these parts, we're all basically obsessed with these because they're downright addictive. And they're actually the inspiration for this recipe. Think of these chicken bites a another variation that is super tasty to snack on!
Now this recipe took a little testing to get it right. Although anything with bacon tends to be a winner, chicken breast can be pretty easy to overcook. Now I must say, J was not at all sad to get to taste test these little guys, even in the earlier stages when they still needed work.
But it was a recommendation from my friend Kristin from Yellow Bliss Road (where this post was originally posted) that really perfected these bacon wrapped chicken bites. This was to par-cook the bacon before wrapping it around the chicken which allowed the chicken to still stay relatively moist while still providing a bacon texture that was still pretty crispy and not at all chewy and soggy.
Tips for how to make chicken wrapped in bacon:
- Pay close attention to the size of your chicken chunks. For this recipe it's best to cut them to around an inch in size and to try and make the pieces as uniform as possible for even cooking.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes. That way it'll have awesome flavor before you even add the bacon into the mix.
- As mentioned above, par cooking the bacon is a game changer. I cut each slice into thirds and nuked it in batches so as not to overload the plate.
- Use a toothpick to secure the bacon around the chicken pieces. Try to make them as secure as possible.
- Gently toss the secured chicken bites in more brown sugar. Try to evenly coat them.
- Line your sheet pan with parchment or a Silpat for easier clean up and to prevent them from sticking.
- Try and make sure they aren't touching on the pan. If needed place them under a high broiler after baking to crisp up the bacon.
Helpful tools:
Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 8-10 slices bacon, cut into thirds
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into uniform 1 inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅔ cup brown sugar, divided
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast chunks into a bowl.
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and ⅓ cup brown sugar and toss to fully coat.
- Let the chicken marinate for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat and set aside.
- Par-cook the pieces of bacon in the microwave for 1 minute- 1 minute and 20 seconds (this will vary by microwave). Make sure to form a single layer on a plate. I did them in batches.
- Wrap a piece of the cut up bacon around each chicken chunk and secure it with a toothpick.
- Once all chicken chunks are wrapped in bacon, place them all back in the bowl with the other ⅓ cup brown sugar and gently toss to coat each one.
- Spread them on the pan in a single layer but not touching.
- Bake for 15 minutes and if needed, turn up the oven to broil and broil them for a couple minutes to crisp up the bacon.
- Cool for a couple minutes and serve immediately.
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions!
Try some other easy chicken appetizer recipes:
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