These Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken bites will be the star attraction at your next holiday gathering or game day party. Tender and juicy pieces of chicken breasts wrapped in smoky strips of bacon are rolled in a sweet and spicy brown sugar mixture before being baked to golden brown perfection!
Brown Sugar Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Bites
With the first hint of Autumn right around the corner, you know that means? Game day parties, tailgating and fun fall festivities! But the thing most people look forward to the most this time of year are all the tasty appetizer recipes and this one is always the star of the show at any party or gathering!
Chunks of juicy chicken is wrapped with glorious smoky pieces of savory bacon, then rolled in a chili and brown sugar mixture before going into the oven. While the little bites of chicken are baking, the brown sugar melts and creates the most amazing coating! They are a sweet, salty, spicy and OH-SO delicious!
The inspiration for these chicken bites comes from these Bacon Wrapped Little Smokies with Brown Sugar that are always a popular appetizer. But, in case you want some more options for delicious appetizers, try my Philly Cheesesteak Jalapeno Poppers, this Spinach Artichoke Dip or these super easy Pretzel Bites!
💗 Why We Love This Recipe
- Savory appetizer that you can prepare in a day in advance then bake right before the party starts.
- Hearty appetizer that are packed with amazing flavor that the whole family will love.
- Super easy recipe that only require 4 simple ingredients.
- You can adjust this recipe and use chicken strips with larger pieces of bacon for a delicious main course meal.
🔪 Recommended Tools
- Sheet Pan
- Sharp Knife
- Measuring Cup
- Toothpicks
🛒 What’s Needed for Brown Sugar Bacon Chicken Bites
- Bacon
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Brown sugar
- Chili powder
🥄 How to Make Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with a little nonstick cooking spray for easy clean up.
Step One: Make Brown Sugar Rub
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together brown sugar and chili powder. Set aside.
Step Two: Prepare the Bacon and Chicken
- Cut chicken breasts into cubes (about 1-inch cubes).
- Cut each strip of bacon slice into thirds.
- Take a chicken cube and wrap it in a piece of bacon, securing it with a toothpick. Repeat this step until each piece of chicken is wrapped.
Step Three: Add the Rub
- Roll each chicken-bacon piece in brown sugar mixture until it’s completely covered.
Step Four: Bake and Serve
- Place chicken pieces on baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 30-35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Variations of Brown Sugar Chicken Bacon Bites
- Bacon: You can use any flavor of bacon. Hickory or applewood smoked bacon work great. If you prefer you can use turkey bacon as well.
- Brown sugar: The brown sugar gives this recipe a bit of sweetness. You can also drizzle the wrapped chicken with a little honey or maple syrup to sweetened them up.
- Spices: If you want to add a little heat, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the brown sugar mixture. You can also add a little garlic powder, black pepper or onion powder.
Tips for Making these Chicken Bites
- When wrapping the chicken breast pieces, you want to wrap them just until ends of the bacon touch. If it overlaps too much, the bacon won’t get done and it can cause the chicken to back unevenly.
- You want plenty of caramelized brown sugar to give the chicken the flavor it needs so any mixture that remains in the bowl, take it and sprinkle over the tops of the chicken pieces and press it down.
- Thick-cut bacon takes longer to get brown and makes it a bit harder to wrap around small pieces of chicken. For the best bacon you want to use thin cut because it’s more pliable and helps stay wrapped while the chicken is baking.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are recommended for this recipe. Chicken thighs are much fattier and not recommended because when you cut a chicken thigh into small chunks, it tends to break apart.
- If you’re serving these for a party for the big game and need to keep them warm for a while, you can transfer them to a slow cooker on a low setting.
Can I Make these Chicken Bites in the Air Fryer?
Technically, you can air fry these chicken bites, but as the brown sugar heats up, it melts. This would most likely make a mess in your air fryer basket. Another plus them cooking them in the oven, is you can make more at one time that you could in an air fryer, which is a huge time-saver when you’re getting ready for a party.
What Dipping Sauce Goes with Brown Sugar Chicken Bites?
These delicious bacon chicken bites are great just the way they are. But if you’d like to serve them with a side of sauce, sweet chili sauce, BBQ sauce or even this copycat Chick-fil-a sauce would be great.
More Appetizer Recipes
- Pumpkin Hummus
- Dill Dip
- Crockpot Rotel Dip
- Hawaiin Ham and Cheese Sliders
- Zesty Ritz Crackers
- Easy Guacamole Dip
- Bisquick Sausage Balls
Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Chicken Appetizer
Equipment
- toothpicks
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up.
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together brown sugar and chili powder. Set aside.
- Cut chicken breasts into cubes (about 1 inch each).
- Cut each bacon slice into thirds.
- Take a chicken cube and wrap it in a piece of bacon, securing it with a toothpick.
- Roll each chicken-bacon piece in brown sugar mixture until it’s completely covered. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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