These Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Bites are courtesy of Seriously Good Freezer Meals. This book is packed with 150 easy recipes. If you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, try freezing some of your meals for a quick and healthy bite for later in the week.
I love to try and cook double and then freeze half for another meal. This book by Karrie Truman is definitely worth being on your cookbook shelf! The book starts off with Freezer Cooking Basics, so even if you are not an expert, ou will find tips to get started. My absolute favorite part of the books is the ‘meal plans.’ These plans let you choose between 7, 20 or 50 meals to make at one time. Think of how much time you will save in the long run by preparing ahead!
Bacon -Wrapped Chicken Bites
Courtesy of Seriously Good Freezer Meals: 150 Easy Recipes to Save Your Time, Money & Sanity by Karrie Truman © 2017 www.robertrose.ca Available where books are sold.
Makes 18 bites.
8 oz (250 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup (60 mL) tamari sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) unseasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) minced garlic
1/4 tsp (1 mL) grated fresh ginger
9 French green beans, trimmed (optional)
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise in thirds
1 tsp (5 mL) cornstarch
18 toothpicks
Garnish
Sesame seeds (optional)
- Slice chicken into pieces 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick and about 2 inches long (you should have about 18 pieces). Place chicken pieces in a medium bowl.
- Add tamari sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger to chicken; stir to combine. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Meanwhile, if using green beans, bring about 2 cups (500 mL) water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add beans and cook for one minute, then quickly remove with a slotted spoon to an ice-water bath. When cooled, cut each bean in half crosswise; set aside.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve over a small saucepan; pour chicken and marinade into sieve. Drain chicken so that all the liquid falls into saucepan. Set pan aside.
- Place each piece of chicken on top of a bacon piece. Add a green bean half (if using) and wrap bacon around both. Pierce through the center with a toothpick to secure. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing apart.
- Whisk cornstarch into marinade in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and boil, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 7 minutes, until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat; set aside.
Make It Now Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake chicken bites in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink inside and bacon is crispy and browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle sauce over bites, then sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. (You can also serve the sauce on the side for dipping.)
Make It a Freezer Meal Using kitchen shears, snip off any pieces of toothpick that are showing. Let sauce cool completely, then place in a labeled quart-size (1 L) freezer bag and seal. Place baking sheet with uncooked bites in freezer; place sauce bag separately in freezer. Freeze for 1 to 2 hours, until solid. Transfer frozen bites to a labeled gallon-size (4 L) freezer bag. Add frozen sauce bag and seal together as a kit, removing as much air as possible. Freeze.
Cook from Frozen Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Place frozen bites on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink inside and bacon is crispy and browned. Meanwhile, run hot water over frozen sauce bag until thawed enough to pour into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat sauce in microwave on High for 30 seconds or until heated through. Remove chicken from oven and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle sauce over bites, then sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. (You can also serve the sauce on the side for dipping.)
