Bacon-wrapped chicken bites make an easy and delicious low carb game-day appetizer. Or a kid-friendly meal! This post is sponsored by Tabasco.
Given the restrictions of this little Tabasco cooking challenge, bacon is featuring heavily in my recipes right now. Understandably, since I do love my bacon. Plus I feel even more limited, since I don’t use grains and legumes for the most part. So yeah…bacon, chicken and Tabasco. Not a bad combination, especially for an appetizer. And remarkably easy to throw together.
Truth be told, this was the last of the Tabasco recipes I created and I was running out of ideas. But these make a perfect game-day appetizer so I thought I would post them ahead of Sunday, in case you were searching for easy inspiration. They also make a great kids’ meal.
I considered a more complicated concoction wherein I stuffed the chicken breasts with cheese and bacon and brushed them with a Tabasco dressing of sorts. And that would have been wonderful, but I decided to scale it back and make something a little more kid-friendly. Food on sticks…kids love food on sticks. So little appetizer-y bacon-wrapped chicken bites it was. They were a huge hit. If you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner for your kids this weekend, or you need a quick appetizer to bring to a party, you’re all set.
Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp Tabasco sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb bacon
- Additional Tabasco if desired
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes.
- In medium bowl, toss chicken with oil and Tabasco sauce. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to marinate.
- Preheat oven to 400F and grease the rack of a broiling pan. Line pan with foil for easier clean-up.
- Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
- Cut each slice of bacon into thirds. Wrap each cube of chicken with a short slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is crisp.
- Sprinkle each bite with a drop or two more of Tabasco, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I’m going to try this with boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts and I think this will make the bacon crispier since you can cook dark meat chicken a little longer without overcooking. Sounds delicious!
Good idea. I love chicken thighs!
Carolyn, how crispy does the bacon get? This recipe looks really tasty, but I’m one of those people who can’t handle bacon if it has any floppiness to it. I’ve had some food texture issues since childhood and while they’ve MOSTLY subsided, the extreme aversion to fat/cartilage/whatever on meat is still going strong! If I could make this and have the bacon actually end up crisp, think it would be fantastic!
Admittedly, not super crisp. You might have better luck to partially pan fry the bacon first and then wrap the chicken, so you can get crispy bacon without overcooking the chicken
You could always pan-fry the bacon-wrapped pieces instead of baking them in the oven. That way, you can get the bacon cooked to your liking.
I don’t like traditional Tabasco sauce, so I made these last night with 1.5 tablespoons green Tabasco instead (put in extra since it’s a lot milder than the red variety). As suggested, I served them with a couple drops of sauce on each bite, too. They were super tasty!!! Will make again!
Great recipe for football! Love anything wrapped in bacon 😉
Spicy cheddar crisps and bacon wrapped chicken bites? I feel a party coming on!
I just recently discovered you and may I just say thank you, thank you, thank you?! I was flirting with type 2 diabetes and making big dietary changes to prevent escalation into a full blown affair. Said changes are doing the job but there was a lot of grumbling and general unhappiness amongst the masses due to the loss of breads and desserts. You have saved me from being cast out onto an ice floe – or at least having unhealthy snacks in the house to keep the angry villagers subdued.
Love your blog and have loved every recipe we’ve tried so far. I cannot express how much I appreciate your work!
Thanks so much, Susan. I do what I do to avoid being cast out onto an ice floe. Most of the time, I am successful!
I have a quick question unrelated to the chicken bites (which I think I’ll make tomorrow for game day). Do know approximately how much a “drop” of stevia extract would be? The extract I have doesn’t “drop”, it squirts. Any idea how many drops in, say an eighth of teaspoon? Thanks so much!
Hi Robin…I do know this because I’ve had to translate it before for our cookbooks. 12 drops or so is 1/8 teaspoon.
Thanks! I have been wondering about that very thing and in some cases a few drops more or less makes a big difference.
Thanks for the info! By the way I made some raspberry hand pies using your pastry recipe this morning. They were FANTASTIC! My husband has a major sweet tooth so I’m always looking for healthier alternatives for him. Pie is one of his favorites and he loved these.
Thank you again!
Ahhh…. bacon….. you are my husband’s new best friend 🙂
Haha, bacon is everyone’s best friend.
Yummy!