Description
Juicy chicken bites wrapped in bacon, glazed with bourbon-brown sugar sauce, and baked to sticky perfection. These crowd-pleasing morsels deliver big flavor with minimal effort!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 lbs (680g) boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 12 slices thick-cut bacon, each cut into thirds
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 36 toothpicks (soaked in water 30 mins)
- For Glaze:
- ½ cup (120ml) bourbon or apple juice
- ¼ cup (60g) brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheet with foil and place wire rack on top.
- Season chicken: Toss chicken cubes with all spices until evenly coated.
- Wrap: Wrap each chicken cube with bacon piece; secure with toothpick.
- Bake: Arrange on rack. Bake 25 minutes until bacon begins to crisp.
- Make glaze: Meanwhile, simmer all glaze ingredients 5-7 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Glaze: Brush chicken bites generously with glaze. Return to oven for 10 minutes.
- Finish: Broil 2-3 minutes until caramelized. Serve warm with remaining glaze for dipping.
Notes
- For crispier bacon: Start with cold bacon directly from fridge
- Make ahead: Assemble unbaked bites up to 24 hours in advance
- Spice control: Omit cayenne for milder version
- Serving suggestion: Skewer onto mini cowboy hat picks for fun presentation
- Storage: Keeps refrigerated 3 days – reheat in air fryer
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American BBQ
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 bites
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 580mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 9g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 80mg