Orange Glazed Chicken Bacon Bites

Chicken Bacon Bites are the perfect balance of sweet, savory and spicy….a real flavor explosion! Easy to prep ahead of time and have ready for the oven or grill when guests arrive, this is one appetizer you will be making time and again!

Yields 35-40 pieces

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 ½” pieces or cubes
1 cup orange marmalade
¼ tsp. Fiesta Brand® Cayenne Pepper
½ tsp. Fiesta Brand® Orange Pepper Seasoning  or Hamburger Deluxe Seasoning
2 cloves garlic, smashed
½ cup plus 1/3 cup soy sauce, divided
3 – 8oz. cans whole water chestnuts
2 ½ pounds of regular sliced bacon or 3 12 oz. packages bacon
Other: Wooden Appetizer Picks 3.75” or long toothpicks

Directions

To Marinate the Chicken:

Place the cut-up chicken breast in a large zip top bag and set aside. In a small bowl, heat up the marmalade until warm and melted, but not hot. Add the next 3 ingredients and ½ cup of soy sauce to the marmalade and stir well to combine. Add 1 cup of the marmalade mixture to the bag with the chicken, seal and marinate in the fridge for 4-6 hours. Reserve the additional marinade for later use.

In a separate zip top bag, combine the drained water chestnuts and the remaining 1/3 cup of soy sauce. Seal the bag and refrigerate with the chicken.

To Assemble:

Line a large sheet pan with parchment and set aside. Remove the chicken from the marinate and place in a bowl. Discard the zip top bag. Place the marinated water chestnuts in another bowl and discard the bag. Take a wooden pick and skewer on whole chestnut and one piece of chicken. Repeat till all the chicken is skewered. Now take each skewer and wrap the chicken and chestnut with a piece of bacon. If using longer appetizer picks, use the ends on the pick to secure the bacon. If you are using shorter toothpicks you may have to use an additional pick to secure the bacon around the chicken. Repeat till all the skewers are wrapped. Place the wrapped chicken bites on the parchment lined sheet pan.

To Cook the Chicken Bites:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the chicken bites on the lined sheet pan for 25-35 minutes or until the bacon is crispy, flipping the bites over and brushing them with the reserved marinade during the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Remove from the oven and brush with additional marinade if desired. Serve warm.

Note: For a smokier flavor, you can also grill these chicken bites over indirect heat at 375-400 degrees, tuning them often for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is crispy. Brush them with the reserved marinade during the final 10 minutes of grilling time. Keep a close eye on them due to the bacon and the sugar in the marinade they will easily burn. In addition, soak your skewers or picks in some water prior to assembly to prevent them from burning.