All you single ladies and single men, listen up! If your friends are having a party and you know a certain someone will be there that you’d like to impress, or ask out, or be asked out by…. take these! Or if you want him to finally “put a ring on it”? Make these! Really, this recipe is the way to love at first bite, they’re that good.
Bacon paired with chicken. Wrapped aroooound chicken! A match made in Heaven, to be sure. My mouth was salivating just from the aroma of bacon and perfectly blended spices while taking these pictures. I finally had to cave and sample three one so I could focus on the task at hand.
I made bacon wrapped chicken for the first time one Christmas Eve and they lasted maybe five minutes. When my dear friend and neighbor had to move away, her husband, who could not get enough of these said to me, “We’ll always have Bacon Wrapped Chicken.”
Yes, bacon and chicken just go together like chocolate goes with everything, and this recipe’s seasoning combination takes the relationship to a whole new level. Don’t skip the initial sprinkling of oregano, thyme, garlic, salt (yes just a zing of salt) and pepper flakes. And the final dredging of brown sugar and chili powder? This really is the perfect mixture of sweet heat and savory, mouth-watering goodness. 
Also, sometimes I run out of broiler pan space before I’m finished wrapping all the chicken bites. If you don’t want to make two batches, put the remaining chicken bites, brown sugar mixture and bacon in a covered container in the refrigerator and the next day cut up the bacon, coat a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and just dump everything in the pan. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes and serve over salad.
12/10/14 update: If you want to try a main dish version of bacon wrapped chicken, check out my friend Mel’s version over at Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.
An excellent and popular appetizer, bacon wrapped chicken is sure to please. You can assemble the chicken with the bacon ahead of time and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before baking.
- 4 boneless skinless, chicken breasts
- 1 16 ounce package sliced bacon
- 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- Have on hand:
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Garlic powder
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- Toothpicks
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Place in a medium bowl and sprinkle with a good amount of oregano, thyme, garlic powder and a good dash of salt and crushed red pepper flakes. (You want these seasonings to coat the chicken, but not to overpower it. Use your good judgment and to your liking) Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and chili powder.
- Cut slab of sliced bacon into thirds.
- Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make an assembly line: Chicken, bacon, toothpicks, brown sugar/chili powder mixture, black pepper, broiler pan.
- Wrap each chicken piece with bacon and secure with a toothpick. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture and arrange on broiler pan. Continue until pan it full. Then sprinkle with a bit of black pepper. Bake for 25 -30 minutes or until bacon is crisp. (If your bacon is thick, cooking time may be as much as 45 minutes.)
- Cook's note: your prep and cooking time may vary based on your assembly-line "expertise", oven variations and bacon thickness.
Recipe adapted from Food Network
I make these and serve them with a homemade wing sauce. For sauce recipe I combine 1 lg. jar (12 0z) of Crystal Wing Sauce, 1 jar (10 oz.) Tiger Sauce,1/2 cup honey,1 cup light brown sugar,1/2 stick melted butter. Stir well. Best to let sit a couple of days in the refrigerator.
Sounds great, thanks Sarah!
Made first time today for Christmas family potluck. Super delicious. Wasn’t sure how much of the different seasonings to use on the chicken. As we don’t like hot spicy foods, I tried 3/8 tsp of each and they were perfect. Rate this recipe 5/5. Will definitely make next year and double the quantity.
Peggy, I’m glad you all liked the Bacon Wrapped Chicken and am honored that you plan on making it again next year. Glad the amount of seasonings worked out for you.
I have a batch of these in my oven baking right now and my house smells delicious!
Lol, I hope you liked them Selma! 🙂
Made these tonight for a wedding shower.. they were a HUGE hit!! This recipe is to die for!!
Thanks Jill, This is always one of my “sure thing” successful appetizer recipes. Glad you liked them. 🙂
I’m doing a bacon wrapped Bday dinner for our son this Thursday. I wonder how these would work with chicken tender pieces instead of the Nuggets. I know cook time would be different but it should still work ok I assume. Fingers crossed!!
These took longer than 15 minutes to prepare and I cooked them for 55 minutes and the bacon still wasn’t cooked well. I had to take them out because I was late for a party. They did taste good though.
This recipe looks amazing. I am taking an appetizer to a family gathering on
the weekend and these look perfect. Could I make them at home – including baking –
perhaps even the day before and heat them in the microwave at the family members house?
Hi Shar, this recipe IS amazing, for sure. I don’t recommend baking them the day before and microwaving them at your family member’s house, but here is what I would do to save you time and serve them hot. The day before, cut up your chicken, put all the seasonings on it (except for the brown sugar mixture), place everything in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. Cut up your bacon the night before, too. Then, about two hours before you leave (to give you plenty of time), assemble everything and place in the fridge and then bake them about an hour before you need to leave in case it takes longer for the bacon to crisp. Then I’d place on an oven-safe platter and cover with foil to transport. Once you get to your family member’s house, reheat in the OVEN at 350 degrees until bacon begins to brown/carmelize even more. I know this isn’t as convenient as making them the day before and reheating in microwave, but if you really want them to taste excellent and fresh, this is what I recommend. If you absolutely have to make them the day before, still reheat them in the oven. If you heat in microwave, the bacon will turn soft and you don’t want that. 🙂 Let me know how they turn out for you and thanks for visiting.
hi, not sure what happened, but I left those suckers in there for like 50 minutes and the bacon still wasn’t done. I cut bacon into thirds and it wasn’t thick cut, so not sure why mine didn’t turn out. I turned up the heat even.
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Hi Michele, Wow! I have never had this happen. I have had a few times where I did need to bake them for an extra 10 minutes of so, but not that long. If you try them again, what if you broil them for a few minutes at the end, but really watch them so the bacon doesn’t blacken. I hope you’ll try again and wish you better luck next time. Thanks for trying them anyway and I’m sorry they didn’t turn out. That is very disheartening especially if you’re making them for a party or group.
Hi Sally! Me Again 🙂 Thank you SO much for the awesome recipe – guess what? It was a hit!!!! Can’t wait to make them again – my husband had seconds and for the first time told me that something I cooked was “really good”. I did have to cook longer, but they were absolutely delish and I’ll be posting on my blog with a shout out to yours! Thanks again 🙂
Hi Sally! What a fantastic idea – I’m making these this weekend for game night and if they turn out well I’m gonna post on my blog and make a little shout out to you!!…..I’m trying to learn how to cook and any advise would be greatly appreciated!!
1. I don’t cook the chicken in advance right? Is 20-25 minutes enough time to bake the chicken bites?
2. Is it too sweet with the brown sugar? I like to have a little sweetness but not overpowering since bacon is SO good on its own!
Thanks so much – looks delish!!
Hi Jenna, First of all, congratulations on your adventure into the wonderful world of culinary arts! I hope you love it as much as I do. The time listed is definitely enough time to cook the chicken through. Since you cut the pieces small enough, the heat from your oven will bake them through, so no worries there. The brown sugar adheres just enough to add the right amount of sweetness. I promise they won’t be too sweet for you. Let me know if you have any other questions. The other advice I will give you is, just allow yourself enough time to wrap your bacon wrapped chicken so you’re not rushed. You could even wrap them and then place them in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Most importantly, have fun! 🙂
I want to make these at a friends party Saturday. Any idea if they’d be okay to prepare at my house Saturday afternoon and take & bake Saturday evening ? Any suggestions ? Awesome recipe!
Dave, I have made these ahead of time and let sit in the fridge overnight before baking and they were amazing! All the flavors melding together makes this appetizer taste even better, IMHO. Let me know what you think of them and thanks for visiting.
I made these tonight, half with the chili powder and Cheyenne pepper and half with nothing spicy. the kids loved it and so did we!
Erica, I’m glad you liked them. Great idea to make them half and half. 🙂
Hello there! These look delicious! What would you rate the spicy factor? What would you suggest to modify to make it without the chili powder and red pepper flakes? Or what would be a different glaze that could go over top?
These are so good!! My husband immediately demanded I make more. That was about 3 days ago, and I’m making my second round right now! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you for visiting my blog and trying these out, Allison. Your husband’s reaction seems to be common among most of the guys I know once they try them, lol!
Lovely work! Would you be happy to link it in to the current Food on Friday which is about all things BBQ? This is the link . I do hope to see you there. Cheers
Thanks Carole! Yes, I’d love to.
Sally, thanks for bringing this over to the BBQ. I hope to see you again soon. Cheers
Cant WAIT to try these, they look delicious!!!!
Thank you Leslee! I hope you like them.
Yes, you and Kevin will “Always have bacon wrapped Chicken”. You are the best!! You have no idea how many times I’ve made your recipe. For every party, and you know how much I like parties! So good!!
My mouth is salivating just looking at these beautiful photos. Wow, I must have these……tonight! YUM! Thanks for sharing : )