Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Updated
Updated
We affectionally refer to these Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites as Chicken Candy. Savory, salty, sweet, sticky, crispy, you’ll have to force yourself to share, they’re so good. Perfect appetizer for any time!
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5 STAR REVIEWS
Along with my chicken wings, these bacon wrapped chicken bites are a huge favorite and get requested often. They’re little pieces of chicken candy. They are so good. SO. GOOD. Sweet, salty, spicy, bite-sized pieces of YUM.
These are clearly meant as an appetizer, but I’ve been known to serve them for dinner. I’ve also learned over the years to make a double batch because they go fast!
Helpful Notes
- Crispy bacon. To ensure the bacon gets nice and crispy, make sure the wrapped chicken bites bake on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet, not directly on the baking sheet.
- Are these spicy? Everyone has a a different threshold for spices and spicy food, so it’s hard for me to answer this. I personally do not think these are spicy. Yes, they have heat from the chili powder and cayenne (which you can adjust to taste), but those are balanced out perfectly by the brown sugar, so you end up with a little spicy, a little salty, and a little sweet.
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, , cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 pound sliced bacon, , cut into thirds
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili powder, (American chili powder that isn't spicy, such as McCormick)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, (or 1/4 tsp for more kick)
- salt, , to taste
Tools you will need
- toothpicks
- tinfoil
- baking sheet
- cooling rack
- nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet pan with foil and place a wire rack on top. Very generously coat the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, chili powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Sprinkle the chicken with a little salt to taste; wrap a slice of bacon around each chicken cube and secure with a toothpick.
- Dredge the wrapped chicken in the brown sugar mixture.
- Place the chicken pieces on the rack and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through at 165F and the bacon is crisp.
- Serve immediately and force yourself to share!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
Proper Storage
These bacon wrapped chicken bites are best when served immediately. Leftovers tend not to store well, as the bacon doesn’t stay crispy. However, if needed, you can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat in the air fryer for the best results (and especially to keep them crispy).
More Appetizers To Try:
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I made these today gor our family barbecue. I read the reviews first and decided to add some cheese. Cooked an additional 10 minutes and they were a huge hit! Definitely making again!
Do you think this can be cooked on a flat top grill? I’ve baked in oven but doing a bbq and wanted to try on grill.
Hi Gail – Maybe? Probably. I’ve never done that and without further testing I can’t advise on directions. Give it a try!
Do I have to soak the toothpicks first?
I’ve never done that, but it’s not a bad idea if time permits.
We make this with hot curry powder and call them toenails. I have no idea why. They’re so delicious.
I love this recipe, however, I do have to double the sugar, chili powder, and cayenne pepper because I like it totally coated. One of my new favorites. Thank you!
Made these for lunch. Taste was very mild. I suggest rolling the bites in the mixture then bacon wrapping and rolling a second time. Also 35 min. Does not finish cooking the bottom of the bacon. Turned them over and set broil for addituonal 15 Minutes. Dipped with blue cheese.
The best
Delicious! I also doubled the brown sugar mixture. We don’t usually have any leftover, But they do reheat well in my toaster oven.
Delicious and easy to make!!
Made these for a cocktail party and they were a huge hit! I don’t eat bacon, so I didn’t try them, but everyone raved. I found for most of the pieces I cut the bacon in half lengthwise again in hopes it would cook better vs folding the halves in half to wrap around the chicken.
really easy and really good! thanks for sharing!
Made this recipe into a main course by cutting chicken breasts into 1/2 inch strips and laying bacon on top. (Covered both in the spice mix.) It was a huge hit with the family!
I made this for Christmas eve and my family really liked it
We LOVED these!
These are like crack. I make them all the time. YUMM
Absolutely delicious!
My family LOVES this recipe. We’ve made it with chicken and also little smokies. We cut the bacon in four pieces, and make sure they are seam side down.
Do you need to add any salt to the chicken?
What brand Bacon is the best?
Any idea how long to cook these in an air fryer and at what temp?
Made these for the 1st time this weekend on my Big Green Egg with a small amount of Hickory wood for smoke. I doubled the recipe for a potluck we were going to & they were gone in about 10 minutes. Several of our friends took their dishes home with food left over. Mine… gone! I’ll definitely be doing these again!
That’s awesome, Jay! I’m not surprised…they’re always the first to go at my house, too!
Can these be prepared ahead of time in either raw state or baked state and frozen?
Raw would be fine, but I personally would defrost first before applying the brown sugar coating.
You must have some very mild chilli … 1 and a bit teaspoons was so firey
I use McCormick and it’s barely spicy at all. The cayenne is what gives it kick.
I used 1/2 tsp of Cayenne and it finally had a little heat, but it was more like damnyankee strength on the heat even with that 1/2 tsp of Cayenne
I’ve made their use a bunch of times they’re a big hit and do not take long at all to make!
How many in a serving? How many carbs, protein , and fats for us that are doing Keto? Thank you
These have brown sugar, so they’re not keto as written. Because there are so many keto-friendly sugar substitutes out there, you’ll have to do the math. :-)
I made these today, for the start of football season and they were declared a “HIT”!!Love your blog!!
Hi. Can these be reheated? I made them ahead of time for a potluck, and want to make sure they crisp back up, but not overcook the chicken…
We’ve reheated them just fine. If you’re reheating a large number of them you might wamt to throw them in the oven for a couple minutes with a bit of foil over them.
Made these today, they were soo good!
I didn’t have cayenne pepper, so I used chipotle pepper instead.
I have a feeling that I’m going to be making these a lot.
Turned oit great im an old fan of sugar and bacon i use the combo in my blt’s all the time
These were fantastic.
I made these today and they were so delicious.
Line your pan with aluminum foil before baking!
Add water to top of pan…sheet pan….fat drips into water. No smoke.
Always put on rack, then add water under rack. Drippings will drop into eater5. No burning. Plus Greece from bacon drips down also
Amaz-ing! Made these for an appetizer for me and my daughter. Paired with a great wine! … We Luv’em …. This is going to be one of my fav dishes!
I have found that cheap foil will allow bleed thru. I now only buy Reynolds Heavy Duty.
Will definitely make these again.
Always put on rack, then add water under rack. Drippings will drop into water.No burning. Plus grease from bacon drips down also. I’m going to make, but add some jalapeno cheese in.
I made these and my friends and family loved them thank you so much for the recipe
Could you cook then put in crockpot to keep cook for a potluck?
I’ve never tried that.
What about dark meat-thighs?
I don’t see why not, Lori! I’m going to try it because I’m tired of making my “special” deviled eggs everyone likes (and asks for). I put a big teaspoon of horse radish in them, then top with a slice of jalapeno (I can my own, but I imagine raw would be great as well!) and small piece of bacon. But I’m getting bored, and these look like a WONDERFUL substitute!
Thanks, Amy!
I always serve them for holiday open house. I cook them as usual, and kind of stack them in a crock pot on low. I do add a little water so they do not burn. The bacon and sugar melt a little, leaving some moisture.
We cant do spicy. What other seasonings would be good on them? Thanks.
I can’t either. I used a meat rub seasoning mix for mine
I think Honey Mustard would be good. Or teriyaki sauce
i don’t own a cooling rack, could these be cooked on a baking sheet?
They can, but the cooling rack allows the bacon to get crispy on top and underneath.
You can use a broiling pan and the chicken will cook the same as if you’d used a cooling rack
Does the bacon go crispy or stay kind of moist
Can you put these in a Crock-Pot on warm after they have been cooked to keep them warm for a party?
I’ve never tried that.
I did use a crock pot for a party. Nice.
Do you know the carb count on these? They look amazing but I’m on Keto and not sure about the brown sugar or what to use in place of it. Can’t wait to eat these!
There is a product called Sukrin Gold it is and eryhritol and stevia based brown sugar substitute 8 grams of carbs to 2 tsp . substitute 1:1
They sell monkfruit brown sugar & these are awesome!
Try using Splenda brown sugar
what can you use instead of all that SUGAR!!! I like the chili powder and bacon concept….but all that SUGAR sounds like loads of calories…any other suggestions?????
Read above
Just add small amount of brown sugar to bar b que sauce. Buy her of sweet Asian Chile sauce for dipping. Sold on Asian aisle
I use coconut sugar. It doesn’t affect my blood sugar like brown sugar does.
this looks amazing, but i dont eat bacon anymore. could i pull this off with turkey bacon?
Can’t see why not, although you might need to alter the time/temp. Try it!
is the chicken pieces raw or cooked when you wrap the bacon on them
Raw.
Just tried this recipe! Took me a couple tries (and the fire alarm going off once or twice..), but they ended up great! Thanks for the idea!
Oh goodness! What happened? That’s never happened to me…I make them all the time. Glad the end result was pleasing. I would hate for this simple recipe to burn down your house!
Scrumptious appetizers! Love the brown sugar & bacon here!
I’m not into heat or spice, heck I can’t even eat table pepper, so if it’s the heat/spice factor you are worried about with the chili powder I can tell you, it’s not hot at all. Not even in the slightest. Don’t you agree Amy?
No, it’s not that…my Dad is severely allergic to chili powder :(
Drats. Well that’s a whole different ball game. Sorry Dad!
Amy, what Mexican chile? Pasilla, Guajillo? I am sure Ancho is too smoky….or is it New Mexico chile? All if these are amazing and still mild.
I don’t like to imagine myself without fingers! How else do you eat Nutella?? ;)
This looks man-friendly and yummy! Thanks for sharing
Great combo. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
bite-sized bacon wrapped chicken?! I like the way you think ;)
These remind me of Rumaki (chicken livers with a slice of water chestnut wrapped in bacon, dredged in brown sugar) which I haven’t made in a long time. They look delicious, and without the chili powder at this end, they would be gone in a heartbeat.
It’s like being a kid in a meat candy store.
Paul,
I like you.
Almost everything that comes out of your mouth sounds just like something my husband would say.
I like him too, lol.
Lisa
Paul,
You are too cute w/ all of your comments from a meat candy store to LOL, which means Laugh Out Loud (LOL)! Lots of <3 to you too. You prob will NEVER see this but I couldn't refuse I had to answer.
Tammy
Love this recipe.. any reason you could use for whole chicken breast or tenders and have as main dish?
Mmmmm bacon and chicken. The end.
When I saw this was a Paula recipe, I have to confess, I almost didn’t make them. OMG I am so glad that I did. They really are exceptionally good. I made 120, yes, 120 of them for a party and they went in 20 minutes. I kid you not. My kids ask for them ALL the time.
I’m so glad you made these, cause now I’ll know that you all are as obsessed with them as we are!
It is pretty amazing that this comes from Paula Deen, and yet she didn’t fry the bacon in lard first ;-)…I am not at all surprised that 120 pieces were gone in a flash. Not surprised at all.
Bacon. Did somebody say bacon?!
At first I thought these were deliciously dangerous. But then I realized something. When you eat about a pound of smoky-sweet bacon in one sitting, it’s okay if it’s in tiny little chicken bites. I read that in an article about cardiovascular health. Yeah. I totally did!
No way…are you putting me on? Bacon really is sweeping the nation if even the health experts are getting on board. Who knew?
How do you get 55 pieces from cutting bacon into 1/3rds?
Because it’s 2 1/4 pounds of chicken (2-3 breasts), sliced into thirds lengthwise, and then cut into 1-inch pieces.