Need an easy party appetizer? These bacon wrapped chicken bites disappear fast—juicy chicken, crisp bacon, and a sweet-and-spicy brown sugar crust. They’re simple to prep ahead, hold well on a tray, and don’t need a sauce—just grab a toothpick and go.
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Featured Comment by Jamie:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"These are so yummy and so easy to make!"
✅ Recipe Summary
What it is: Sweet-and-spicy bacon wrapped chicken bites coated in brown sugar and chili powder. Juicy chicken, crisp bacon, and a candy-like crust.
Why you’ll love it: Simple prep, oven-baked, and party-ready. No sauce needed, easy to make ahead, and always the first appetizer to disappear.
How to make it: Cut chicken, wrap with bacon, roll in brown sugar + chili powder, and bake at 350° convection until crisp and 165°F internal.
Jump to the Recipe Card or keep reading for tips, variations, and serving ideas.
🐓 Ingredients
- Chicken – Use skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Trim and cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Bacon – Regular or thick-cut both work. Trim and thin thicker slices with a knife for easier wrapping.
- Brown sugar – Light or dark; dark gives a deeper molasses flavor.
- Chili powder – Adds flavor and a little warmth, not much heat.
- Ground cumin – Optional, but gives a warm, earthy note.
- Cayenne pepper (optional) – Add ¼ teaspoon if you want more kick.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Bites
1. Prepare ingredients
Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes.
Trim and halve bacon strips—thin with a knife if needed.
✅ Pro Tip: Start with thick-cut bacon so you can trim fat and thin the slices—it wraps better and crisps more evenly.
Mix brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and optional cayenne.
2. Assembly and coating
Wrap each chicken piece with bacon and secure with a toothpick.
✅ Pro Tip: You can assemble up to 24 hours ahead. Refrigerate tightly covered, then coat and bake later.
Roll each bite in the sugar-spice mix, pressing some into the ends.
Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet with a rack, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray (like PAM).
3. Bake and serve
Bake at 350° convection (375° conventional) for about 35 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the internal temp reaches 165°.
Serve warm, or keep them hot with a griddle, crock pot, or low oven (see tips below).
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete step-by-step photo instructions—or keep reading for tips, variations, and serving ideas.
🤔 Options and Flavor Variations
- Use chicken breasts or thighs – Raw boneless, skinless pieces only. Thighs work well too—cook to 165°, but they’ll be more tender around 180°.
- Spice it your way – Cumin is optional but adds a warm, earthy flavor. Want heat? Add ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper—or more if you're feeling bold.
- Thick-cut bacon works best – Trim a bit of fat and thin it with a knife. It wraps better and stays in place during baking.
- Light or dark brown sugar – Both work—dark brings a deeper molasses flavor and gives the coating its signature sticky-crisp finish.
- Use a rack if you can – It’s optional, but highly recommended. It keeps the bites out of the bacon grease and helps them crisp up all around.
📅 Making Them Ahead of Time
You can assemble the chicken bites up to 24 hours in advance—just don’t coat them with the sugar and spice mixture yet.
Wrap each chicken piece in bacon, secure with a toothpick, and store them in an airtight container or cover tightly on a tray. Refrigerate until you're ready to coat and bake.
When it's go time, roll them in the sugar-spice mix and bake as directed.
✅ Pro Tip: Don’t coat early—the sugar can draw out moisture and leave the bacon soft instead of crisp.
♨️ How to Keep Bacon Chicken Bites Warm for Serving
Keeping these bites warm can be tricky, especially at parties. An electric griddle on the warm setting works great for small batches.
For larger servings, use a crock pot on low with crumpled foil in the bottom to keep the bites out of the drained fat.
If you're serving at home, a low oven (around 200°F) will also keep them warm without drying them out—just cover loosely with foil.
✅ Food Safety Tip: If they’ll be out for more than 2 hours, keep the temperature above 140°F to stay safe—though honestly, they rarely last that long.
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📋 Appetizer and Party Recipes
Looking for more easy party favorites? Try these reader-loved recipes:
- Crispy Baked Chicken Wings – Classic game day food.
- Lemon Squares – Bright, tangy, and make-ahead friendly.
- Cheesecake Bars – Rich, creamy, and easier than a full cheesecake.
- Candied Almonds – Sweet, crunchy, and dangerously snackable.
- Candied Bacon – Bacon… but candy. Need we say more?
❄️ Storing Leftovers and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. To freeze, spread the bites on a tray to freeze individually for a few hours, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. They’ll keep for up to 2 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, until hot and sizzling again.
❓ FAQs
If you're using thinner bacon, no need to thin it further. But very thick bacon may take too long to crisp, overcooking the chicken in the process.
I prefer thick-cut bacon—thinning it slightly makes the slices wider, which gives better coverage and helps everything cook evenly.
After baking, keep them warm in a low oven, a crock pot with foil at the bottom, or on a griddle. You can also make them ahead: assemble up to 24 hours in advance, then coat and bake right before serving.
A: The brown sugar caramelizes into a crisp coating while the chili powder adds depth and mild heat. Together they give the sweet-spicy balance people love in appetizers. A similar coating also works on other bites—try it with small sausages or even tofu.
⚕️ Chicken Food Safety Tips
- Always treat raw chicken as contaminated—wash your hands and any surfaces it touches.
- Don’t rinse raw chicken—it can spread bacteria through splashing water. (See: Chicken: To Rinse or Not to Rinse?)
- Cook to 165°F for safety, and keep them above 140°F if they’ll be out during a party.
📖The Recipe Card
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites (Sweet, Spicy & Easy)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 pound bacon - buy good quality
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare ingredients
- Clean and trim about 1¼ pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breast. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Trim and halve bacon strips. If using thick-cut, thin them with the back of a chef’s knife and trim excess fat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine ⅔ cup dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons chili powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional).
Assembly and coating
- Wrap each chicken cube with a bacon strip and secure with a toothpick. At this point, cover and refrigerate for better timing. You can keep it tightly covered and refrigerated for up to a day.
- Prep a foil-lined baking sheet with a rack and spray with PAM.
- Roll the wrapped bites in the sugar-spice mix, packing some into the ends. Place on the rack.
Bake and serve
- Preheat oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.
- Bake until golden brown and at a 165° internal temperature for about 35 minutes.
- Serve warm, or keep hot on a griddle, in a crock pot, or a 200°F oven.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- If using thick-cut bacon, flatten it slightly to make wrapping easier and trim some fat.
- Chicken thighs work well too, but cook to 180° for tenderness. You can also try mini sausages as a variation.
- * The cayenne is optional—add if you like heat.
- Make-ahead tip: Assemble and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking. Wait to coat until right before baking.
- For serving, keep warm using a griddle, crock pot with foil, or a low oven. See the post for some food safety guidelines.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Adapted from Food Network Paula Deen recipe.
Editor note: Originally published June 15, 2012. This recipe has been one of my most pinned recipes on Pinterest and is one of our go-to recipes for gatherings. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Mary smith says
I made these at a party they were wonderful!! Now I tried a version that is for a main course I spread cream cheese ( spreadable) on a chicken fillet and rolled it and wrapped it in bacon then the brown sugar mixture....wow!!!
Diane Roark says
Please let me know if it is not o.k. to use your delicious looking bacon appetizer in my bacon roundup posts.
Blessings,
Diane Roark
Timotayo says
This is like food porn. I am feeling diet-guilt for wanting this badly!
How do you reckon it'd do on a BBQ??? This would be a great camping food to make! Maybe skewer these bad boys on sticks over a fire?? Holy moley....
Hutch says
I smoked these using apple wood. 1 1/2 hours @ 220, they were great! We had a lot of dipping sauces available when we served them...we liked ranch dressing and BW3 spicy garlic sauce the best.
DrDan says
That is really stepping it up a notch.... Sounds wonderful
Thanks for the ideas
DrDan
Karen Yoder says
I am doing a wedding reception appetitzers. Is there any way to make them in bulk and keep warm after baking until serving?
would an electric roaster work?
DrDan says
Hummm no idea really. That is more of a catering question. I guess I would try some sort of warming oven but you might dry them...
I know you can assemble them ahead and even do the coating a few hours ahead but I have always served them shortly after cooking. We did take a large tray about 20 minutes away and used an electric serving tray for the 60's to keep them hot there.
Anybody out there with a suggestion.
DrDan
garden girl says
hi karen, what about a warming tray versus a electric roaster?? or electric serving tray...do you have time to experiment ?? i am not an expert by any means .....my thoughts are you dont want to continue to cook them just keep them warm....
Michele says
Made these yesterday for my husband's b-day party. They were amazing and a huge hit. Everyone loved them, even my picky step-son. I wrapped and coated them in them morning and popped them in the fridge until ready to bake. Thanks for the great recipe!
DrDan says
They have somewhat become our "take to the party" dish.
Thanks for the comment
DrDan
Joyce says
May I recommend using a mixture of honey mustard, & BQ sauce for dipping ? Makes a excellent sauce on everything!!
DrDan says
Thanks for the recommendations. I'm not a dipper usually but it sounds great.
Thanks for the note
DrDan
laura says
Do you think you could do these in a crockpot?
DrDan says
No. No chance. The bacon would not cook.
DrDan
Carrie says
There's actually a recipie for these in the crockpot on Pinterest as well.
CiciG says
This was a HUGE hit at our Superbowl Party! It was a little time consuming, but looked impressive. If you have the time, it's worth it!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note. I generally do everything but the coating ahead and let them set in the refrigerator covered so my time during a party is not much.
DrDan
Joan says
Made these yesterday for the superbowl and they were pretty good but most the brown sugar mixture seemed to drip off while cooking so they didn't have much of the sweet and spicy flavor. We ended up dipping them in BBQ sauce. Any suggestions on how to keep the mixture from dripping off while cooking?
DrDan says
Hi Joan
I haven't had that problem. I would suspect it has to do with the bacon. I use a very lean bacon so it may stick better. I use Hormel Black Label.
DrDan
OrganicOso says
Try putting the spice and brown suger in a plastic bag and tossing the cubed chicken in it before wrapping with bacon. The fat from the bacon will coat and help marinate the rub into the chicken while it bakes.
Julie says
I cook mine directly on sheet pan, no rack. Let's the bacon & ckn/weinies soak up all the sugar & spice
Joy says
Very easy to make. Tasty little treats.
Teri says
Totally making these next weekend!
Beedermpath says
Made these for a party! Awesome!
Beedermpath says
Made these for a party! I tripled the recipe, they were a big hit. Thanks!
Chris says
Hard to beat that for party food! I did a savory version of this years ago and it was not as good, it needs the sweet.
Greg says
some friends of mine do almost the exact same recipe with the little cocktail hotdogs instead of the chicken. they go fast at parties. I think I like the idea of the chicken myself.