Hi friends! I’m excited to bring you yet another recipe that involves making something already yummy even yummier by wrapping it in bacon. I just realized that this method might be turning into somewhat of a habit for me as evidence by my Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf and and my Bacon Wrapped Asparagus.
Sorry, not sorry.
My mom used to make us a similar bacon wrapped chicken bite, and I believe she coated the chicken in orange marmalade… Is that right, Mom?
When Jo, from Jo Cooks, shared her recipe for Sweet Chicken Bacon Bites, it took me right back to my childhood and I’ve been wanting to make these ever since!
So I searched my pantry and found a jar of apricot pepper jam (thank you Just Jan’s) and I knew right away adding in a little sweet heat would be so good with that salty bacon. I cubed up some boneless, skinless chicken breast and coated them in the jam. Each piece is wrapped in half a strip of bacon and secured with a toothpick, and then brushed with a little more jam. I set them on an oven safe rack on top of my baking sheet so that the grease from the bacon could drip away from the chicken bites.
I thinned out the apricot pepper jam and warmed it up to make a quick and easy dipping sauce, and you guys, these were just FANTASTIC! After I finished shooting these pictures, I called the boys in so they could try them. They liked them dipped in BBQ sauce, and devoured them in about 60 seconds!
Then they were like, “Mom, so what’s for dinner?” and I was like, “Uh, you just ate it!” Bottomless pits, I tell you!
These make a great appetizer, or even a casual main dish. My mom used to serve them over white rice, and I think drizzling this apricot pepper sauce over the chicken and rice would be a good idea. We didn’t get that far because my boys devoured them before we even got the chance to sit down, but for next time that’s my game plan!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #lovelylittlekitchen
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Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites with Apricot Pepper Dipping Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 36 pieces 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites are the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. You might want to double the recipe because they are gone in a flash!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup apricot pepper jam (I used Just Jan’s Savory Spread)
- 18 bacon strips, cut in half (I like to use center cut)
- optional: dried parsley and freshly cracked pepper
For the Dipping Sauce
- 1/3 cup apricot pepper jam
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place an oven proof rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray.
- Cut chicken breasts into one inch cubes and place them in a large bowl.
- Warm apricot pepper jam in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Reserve two tablespoons, and then pour the rest over the chicken and toss to coat.
- Wrap each chicken cube with a half strip of bacon, and secure with a toothpick.
- Brush each one with the reserved jam.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then flip each chicken bite over. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is nicely browned.
For the Dipping Sauce
- In a small microwave safe bowl, combine jam and water. Heat for 30 seconds and stir. If it is still to thick, add another tablespoon of water and reheat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 dipped chicken bite
- Calories: 67
- Sugar: 3.2g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 2.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4.8g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 6.1g
- Cholesterol: 17mg
Jennifer @ Oil Diffuser says
I love it. I really want to try this dish. It looks so delicious and it is interesting 🙂 My family will actually like it. thanks
Alison haight says
I had to jump back on here to say my kids and hubby LOVED this recipe! Such a simple and delicious recipe! Thanks!
Julie says
So glad Alison!
Denise Pierone says
Thank you for all your SMART doing’s!! I CAN’T wait to try some of your recipe’s, they look WONDERFUL and I can’t wait to see how my guests will love them too!!!
Julie says
Thank you Denise!
Ross Reichel says
Instead of chicken, used this recipe with some duck I had from this fall. Brought it into work for a potluck and it was AMAZING. The only problem was not having leftovers to bring home!
Great recipe.
Julie says
That’s great Ross! Glad they were a hit!
Kim Carey says
Hi there. I substituted pineapple preserves and combined it ginger preserves (cause I didn’t have the jelly in the recipe) then coated the chicken and made the dipping sauce. The recipe rocked and I brought home an empty plate from the party. Thanks for a great recipe idea.
Kim Carey says
Hi there. I substituted pineapple preserves and combined ginger preserves (cause I didn’t have the jelly in the recipe) then coated the chicken and made the dipping sauce (with the jams I had). The recipe rocked and I brought home an empty plate from the party. Thanks for a great recipe idea.
Trish Burton says
Hi, I am looking forward to trying this but when I went to Jan’s Jams (a beautiful website) to order the Apricot Pepper Fruit Spread I found that it is no longer listed their website although she does have two other recipes, along with yours, listed on her site using the product . The fruits spread sounds like an incredibly delicious combination.
I will try the pineapple and ginger spread idea another reader suggested but would love to know how to find the Apricot Pepper. thank you!
Julie says
Hi Trish! The jam was sent to me to try a while back. That’s too bad that it’s no longer available. You could also try adding fresh jalapeño peppers to a regular apricot spread.