Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

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Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Made with just 5 ingredients, these sweet, tangy, crunchy Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts are an addictive and easy party appetizer. No matter what the occasion, they are a hit every time!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Marinate Time1

Total Time1 45

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon water chestnuts, party appetizers, water chestnuts recipe

Servings: bites

Ingredients

16 ounces whole water chestnuts (drained)
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar (divided)
2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce
1 pound regular sliced bacon (cut into thirds)

Instructions

Place the water chestnuts, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and the sriracha in a resealable plastic bag. Toss to combine. Seal and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or ideally overnight.) Then drain and discard marinade.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cover a baking sheet pan with foil and place a wire cooling rack on top. Generously coat the rack with nonstick cooking spray. (See note.)
Wrap a slice of bacon around each water chestnut and secure with a toothpick.
Dredge the wrapped water chestnuts in the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar.
Place the assembled water chestnuts on the rack in a single layer not touching.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the bacon is browned and crisp. (You can broil the water chestnuts for the last few minutes to crisp the bacon, if necessary. Watch closely so they don't burn.)
Remove from the oven, drain on paper towels for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Use a cooling rack for baking, if possible. I like using a cooling rack, which allows the grease from the bacon to drip off and also gets the bottoms crispier this way. But this recipe can be made without the rack if you don't have one. Just lay them flat on the foil (coated with nonstick spray) in a single later, not touching, and flip halfway through bake time.

Air Fryer method. Prepare as directed above and then instead of baking, place in the air fryer at 390 degrees F for approximately 8 minutes. Adjust the cook time based on how crisp you want the bacon. When air frying water chestnuts, be sure to not crowd the air fryer and cook multiple batches as needed. NOTE: Cook time and results can also vary based on your particular air fryer.

Use Pineapple. Instead the water chestnut, use a chunk of pineapple. Skip marinating the pineapple before baking, wrap with bacon and bake as instructed. Halfway through the baking time, brush with the sauce and continue baking.

Include a protein. You can also make this recipe with little smokies, shrimp, or with bites of chicken breast like our bacon wrapped chicken bites. Cooking time will vary.

Nutrition