These sweet and spicy bacon-wrapped chicken bites have juicy chicken, crisp bacon, and a brown sugar and chili powder coating that caramelizes as they bake.
A very special make-ahead appetizer for parties, holidays, or game day. Make a few or a lot; just bake and serve—no dipping sauce needed.
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Featured Comment by Jamie:
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"These are so yummy and so easy to make!"
📝 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- What: Bacon-wrapped chicken bites with a sweet and spicy brown sugar and chili powder coating.
- Why: Easy to make ahead, oven-baked, and perfect for parties. No dipping sauce needed.
- How: Wrap chicken pieces with bacon, coat with the sugar-spice mixture, and bake until the bacon is crisp and the chicken reaches 165°F.
🐓 Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes. Chicken thighs also work.
- Bacon: Regular or thick-cut bacon; choose leaner, meaty slices.. Thick slices may need to be thinned for easier wrapping.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar.
- Chili powder: Adds mild warmth without making the bites very spicy.
- Cumin: Optional for a warm, earthy flavor.
- Cayenne pepper: Optional for more heat.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Trim bacon into half strips and thin if needed.
✅ Pro Tip: Thick-cut bacon can be thinned with a knife so it wraps better and crisps more evenly.
Wrap each chicken piece with bacon and secure with a toothpick. Coat with a mixture of brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and optional cayenne.
✅ Pro Tip: You can assemble up to 24 hours ahead. Refrigerate tightly covered, then coat and bake later.
Arrange on a tray (a rack is preferred). Bake at 375°F (350°F convection) until the bacon is crisp and the chicken reaches 165°F. Serve hot.
👇 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 Variations
- Chicken: Boneless chicken breasts or thighs work. Thighs are more tender when cooked to about 180°F.
- Spice: Cumin is optional but adds a warm, earthy flavor. Add ¼ teaspoon of cayenne for more heat.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark works; dark brown sugar adds a deeper molasses flavor.
📅 Making Them Ahead of Time
Assemble the bacon-wrapped chicken bites up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate, tightly covered. Wait to add the brown sugar and spice coating until just before baking.
✅ Pro Tip: Don’t coat early—the sugar can draw out moisture and leave the bacon soft instead of crisp.
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♨️ 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 amounts, 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.
❄️ Storing Leftovers and Reheating
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze individually on a tray, then transfer to a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
- Reheat: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes until hot.
📋 Appetizer and Party 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 Bacon – Bacon… but candy. Need we say more?
❓ FAQs
Yes, if you're using thinner bacon. Very thick bacon may take too long to crisp, which can overcook the chicken.
Brown sugar caramelizes into a crisp coating while chili powder adds flavor and mild heat, creating the sweet and spicy balance of these chicken bites.
Yes. The sweet and spicy brown sugar coating also works well on bacon-wrapped cocktail sausages, tofu, or other small appetizer bites.
⚕️ Chicken Food Safety Tips
- Treat raw chicken as contaminated. Wash your hands and clean any surfaces it touches.
- Don’t rinse raw chicken; splashing water can spread bacteria.
- Cook chicken to 165°F and keep the bites above 140°F when holding them warm for serving.
📖The Recipe Card
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites with Brown Sugar Coating
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 1¼ pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts - cut into 1 inch cubes
- ½ pound bacon - choose leaner, meaty slices
- 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 bacon and secure with a toothpick. If making ahead, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Prep a foil-lined baking sheet with a rack and spray with PAM.
- Roll the wrapped bites in the sugar-spice mixture, pressing some into the ends. Place on the rack.
Bake and serve
- Preheat oven to 375°F (350°F convection).
- Bake for about 35 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the chicken reaches 165°F.
- 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. 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 Paula Deen’s Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps recipe.
Editor note: Originally published June 15, 2012. This recipe is one of my most-pinned recipes on Pinterest and one of our go-to recipes for gatherings. Updated with expanded options and refreshed photos.
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.