Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Bites – Food Faith Fitness

These Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Bites are sweet, savory, and a bit spicy — totally perfect for your next party.

I had you at bacon, right? If you are a fan of bacon, you likely agree that adding bacon or wrapping something in bacon makes it so much better. The only issue, in my opinion, is that popular bacon-wrapped foods, like scallops and dates, are a bit unique. I can’t sell dates to my kids and scallops are pretty expensive to make a tray of, just to pop in your mouth. Enter, bacon-wrapped chicken bites.

The practice of wrapping foods in bacon goes back centuries in various cuisines, but in England, one of the earliest popular examples appeared in the late 19th century with Angels on Horseback—oysters wrapped in bacon. Around the same time, a similar dish called Devils on Horseback, typically prunes or dates (sometimes stuffed with cheese) wrapped in bacon, also caught on. These dishes helped spark the trend of wrapping all kinds of ingredients in bacon, from savory sides like Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus to fun appetizers like sweet-and-salty Bacon-Wrapped Pineapple Bites.

One of my favorite aspects of bacon-wrapped chicken bites is that they have a unique flavor, but the ingredients are standard, and likely available in your kitchen already. The main ingredients are boneless, skinless chicken breasts and slices of bacon. The bacon has a rich, unmatched flavor, but the real excitement comes from the sweetness of the brown sugar, combined with the spice of chili and garlic powder. These bacon-wrapped chicken bites also come together in a few steps and take about a half hour in the oven. Just like that, you have tasty, savory hors d’oeuvres for a party or a protein-packed snack for your family. And your home will smell heavenly.

Are Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Bites Healthy?

Bacon-wrapped chicken bites are packed with protein. However, brown sugar contains a high amount of carbohydrates and the bacon, of course, contributes a high amount of fat and sodium. To adjust this dish for a keto diet, you’ll need to replace the brown sugar with a keto-friendly sweetener.

Choosing The Right Bacon For Your Wrapping

For bacon-wrapped chicken bites, using the right bacon can really make or break your dish. Most importantly, do not use thick-sliced or center-cut bacon. These options take longer to cook and will leave you with a chewy, greasy bite. If you only have thicker bacon, I recommend partially pre-cooking it, before wrapping the chicken. Also, while you do not want to break the bank with a pound of bacon, you don’t want to get the cheapest one either, since bacon is the star of the show. Finally, this recipe suggests cutting the bacon strips in thirds widthwise, but before you get busy with the kitchen scissors, make sure that length will cover your chicken bites.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 pound bacon, slices cut into thirds
• Freshly chopped parsley for garnish, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep
Preheat oven, prepare baking sheet, and season chicken.

Assemble
Wrap chicken with bacon, secure with toothpicks, coat in sugar mix.

Bake
Bake until bacon is crisp and chicken is cooked.

Devour!

FAQs & Tips

Serving Suggestions

These bacon-wrapped chicken bites are perfect for a formal holiday party or a Sunday Funday football party. If your party is more formal, you can serve these chicken bites passed on a tray accompanied with Healthy California Roll Sushi Bites or these simple Pizza Bites. For a more chill vibe, set your bacon-wrapped chicken bites out with BBQ Paleo Wings and this delish Chunky Guacamole served alongside Air-Fryer Tortilla Chips.