Better Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
We tossed these little bites of goodness together yesterday… perfect for some easy chowing during football!
Little upgrades to the quality of ingredients make this snack/meal healthier and less toxic overall. This fits in with your low-carb and keto approach to eating, especially when you keep the {spoiler alert} sweet ingredient in check.
I’m not much of a ‘measurer’, like, ever, but here’s what I used…
Ingredients:
- 2-3 pounds boneless, skinless, free-range chicken breasts
- 16-ounce package uncured, hormone-free sliced bacon
- 3-4 tablespoons organic chili powder
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup*
- 1/4 teaspoon organic spicy brown mustard
- 1-2 teaspoons Pink Himalayan sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground organic black pepper
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon organic dried oregano
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon organic thyme
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon organic garlic powder
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon crushed organic red pepper flakes
*The recipe I was using for a general guideline called for brown sugar but I didn’t have any so I experimented with the pure maple syrup. Sticky but amazing!
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. I lined a baking tray with foil and lightly greased it with grass-fed butter.
2. Cut the chicken breasts into large bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken pieces in a medium bowl and toss with the sea salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Set it aside to absorb all that yumminess while you prepare the rest.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix the maple syrup and chili powder together.
4. Cut the entire slab of bacon into thirds.
5. Wrap each chicken piece with small strip of bacon and slather them in the maple syrup/chili powder mixture. I secured the bacon in blace with a toothpick first, then placed the chicken pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet. If your bacon is better behaved than mine, there’s no need for the toothpick.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the chicken is cooked through. If the chicken is in direct contact with the baking sheet, you may opt to flip it once during that cooking time. I didn’t and it was fine.
7. Dr. Hubby took a look at what was cooking and asked, “Yum, what can we dip it in?” (I’m thinking, “Bacon & chicken already dunked in heavenly goodness isn’t enough??”) So, I whipped up a quick little dipping sauce to keep the fans happy by simply mixing some of my most favorite food staples, avocado mayonnaise, along with some organic BBQ sauce. Easy peesy.
Next time… probably no maple syrup, but I think I’ll stuff the bacon with some other fun things in addition to the chicken… like a sprig of thyme, or a wee chunk of blue cheese, or a bite of avocado… yum!
What would YOU add to these bites? What’s YOUR favorite seasoning mix for this dish?
Dr. Colleen Trombley-VanHoogstraat (“Dr Mom Online”) is a popular personality in Natural Health & Wellness and is in her 23rd year of active practice in Michigan, along with her husband Dr. Marc VanHoogstraat. She’s also the proud mom of two rather fabulous kiddos that she currently home schools. Her unique perspective of the science of Wellness provides predictable solutions and transformational results for those struggling with chronic health issues, as well as those seeking lifelong health. To discover her simple strategies for creating better health through nutrition, movement, mindset, cellular detoxification, and metabolic re-setting, jump on board as a regular reader of Dr Mom Online when you plug in your name and email address.
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