Five Best Bacon Wrapped Appetizers

Five Best Bacon Wrapped Appetizers
by Chris Rawstern

Unless on a special diet, most people love bacon. Wrapping things in bacon is a logical step when looking for appetizer recipes. With the sure knowledge that bacon goes equally as well with savory as with sweet, the filler combinations can switch from chicken to dates, crackers to water chestnuts. Party appetizers should be simple, able to make or assemble ahead, and with not too much last minute oven time. Here are some very simple appetizers, all with bacon wrappings, to tempt your party guests.

Bacon Wrapped Barbecued Chicken

Use skinless boneless chicken breasts and cut into 1 inch cubes. This is easier if the chicken is only partially thawed. Use center cut bacon, and slice in half across the width. Wrap one half slice of bacon around each chicken cube, securing with a toothpick. Brush a little of your favorite barbecue sauce onto the wraps. Place them on a rack of a broiler pan to catch the drippings. Bake these at 375 for 25 to 35 minutes, or until bacon is done. At about mid baking time, turn the bites over and brush with more barbecue sauce. If needed, broil to achieve desired doneness. These can be wrapped ahead, without the barbecue sauce. Brush on the sauce once ready to bake. Or, bake ahead and reheat in a 300 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Buffalo Chicken Bites

Using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pound them out thinly. If the chicken pieces are very wide, cut into strips about 3 to 4 inches wide. Place blue cheese crumbles in a line down the length of one section and roll from a long edge, enclosing the cheese. Slice the rolls into about the width of a slice of bacon. Using half slices of center cut bacon wrap one piece around each chicken roll and secure with a toothpick. Place on the rack of a broiler pan and sprinkle on some hot sauce of choice. Bake at 375 for about 25 to 30 minutes, until bacon reaches desired doneness. Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing and hot sauce on the side. These can also be made ahead and reheated as above. Best if not completely cold when served.

Half Poppers in Bacon

If jalapeno poppers are something your crowd enjoys, wrapping them in bacon is just that next step to greatness. Cut jalapeno peppers in half, lengthwise. Wearing gloves, remove seeds and membranes. Place a small portion of cream cheese into the jalapeno half. Cut center cut bacon in half across and wrap one half slice around each jalapeno, securing with a toothpick. Set these with the cheese upwards onto a rack of a broiler pan and bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bacon is done. Broil for a couple of minutes more, if needed. These are best served right away, but can easily be filled and wrapped a day in advance and baked when required.

Bacon Cheese Hot Dog Bites

For these, I prefer to partially pre cook the bacon. Use center cut bacon slices and fry them until about half done. The hot dogs do not need long baking time to cook through, and you do not want to lose the cheese filling. Using any regular hot dogs, cut a slit down the length of the hot dog, without cutting all the way through. Using a sliced cheese such as American, Swiss or pepperjack, cut the cheese slice in half. Take each half slice and fold these in half lengthwise forming a long, thin piece. Set one of the folded halves of cheese into the opened slit in the hot dog. If the cheese does not reach the end of the hot dog, add in part of another piece of the cheese. Cut the hot dog into 3 pieces, or about the width of a slice of bacon. Wrap a slice of partially cooked bacon around each piece of hot dog and skewer with a toothpick. Bake these at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes. These are best made last minute, but can be filled, wrapped and stored a day ahead.

Bacon Wrapped Dates, Water Chestnuts, Pineapple Chunks

Wrap a half slice of center cut bacon around pitted medjool dates, chunks of pineapple or water chestnuts and skewer with a toothpick. Place onto the rack of a broiler pan. Bake in a 500 degree oven, about 6 minutes. Remove from oven and turn each bite over. Bake for another 4 to 6 minutes, or until the bacon is done. These may be wrapped a day ahead and kept until needed.

All of these appetizers are easy to make and many can be rolled in advance and kept until needed, or reheated when necessary for a short time. The aromas wafting through the house will entice guests even more.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope it was informative and helped you along your own culinary journey. You will find many more recipes and helpful tips on my web site. I am on Facebook at A Harmony of Flavors and share a recipe or tip each day to the fans that have liked my site. I hope to see you there soon.

More Information:

My name is Chris Rawstern, and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what A Harmony of Flavors means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like.

My passion is to teach people how to create a Harmony of Flavors with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own.

Visit my Web site http://www.aharmonyofflavors.com my Blog at http://www.aharmonyofflavors.blogspot.com my Marketplace at http://www.a-harmony-of-flavors-marketplace.com or Facebook page A Harmony of Flavors

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