Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

A deliciously sweet, salty, and sticky appetizer everyone will absolutely love and devour. Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts is the perfect one bite hors d’oeuvre. Crisp water chestnuts wrapped with bacon and smothered in a sweet chili sauce. So easy and so good!

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What You’ll Love About Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts:

I can’t remember the first time I had Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts but it was somewhere around the time I got married. My bestie made them for a party and well the rest is history! This is another great recipe we make at least twice a year. They are literally the perfect appetizer for any occasion, from birthday parties to a fancy Holiday gathering.

What are water chestnuts?

If you’ve never had a water chestnut you might be wondering if they are the same as a chestnut. While they may have the same shape and size they are completely different. Water chestnuts come from the root of a plant. They are similar in texture to an apple or jicama. Chestnuts come from a tree. They are tender (not crunchy like a nut) and have a slightly sweet taste.

Ingredients for Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts:

• Bacon
• Whole water chestnuts
• Mayo
• Chili sauce
• Brown sugar
• Tooth Picks

How To Make Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts:

Step 1. Heat oven to 325℉. Have a 9×13 inch baking dish ready.

Step 2. Cut bacon slices into thirds. Wrap bacon slice around a chestnut and secure with a sturdy toothpick. Place in your baking dish and repeat until all the water chestnuts are wrapped. You may still have a few pieces of bacon left.

Step 3. Place dish in the oven and bake for 45-minutes. Use a handful of paper towels to sop up the excess grease, or drain carefully in a heat safe cup. The paper towel method is super easy and mess free.

While the chestnuts are in the oven make the sauce. Combine mayo, chili sauce, and brown sugar. Stir until smooth.

Step 4. Pour the sauce mixture all over the bacon chestnuts and gently toss. Turn the oven heat up to 350℉ and place the baking dish back in the oven for another 45-minutes or until bacon is crisp and chewy, and the sauce is thickened and reduced. I usually leave it in a full hour the second round. Allow to cool 10-minutes before serving.

Pro Tips:

Other tasty Appetizers you might enjoy:

• Crispy Parmesan Ranch Potatoes
• Lemon Soy Glazed Chicken Wings
• Homemade French Onion Dip
• Cranberry Brie and White Cheddar Pull Apart Bread

Let’s eat!

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

The Menu Maid

A deliciously sweet, salty, and sticky appetizer everyone will absolutely love and devour. Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts is the perfect one bite hors d'oeuvre. Crisp water chestnuts wrapped with bacon and smothered in a sweet chili sauce. So easy and so good!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 404 kcal

Equipment

• sturdy tooth picks
• 2 qt baking dish

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 lbs regular or thin cut bacon, cut into thirds
• 3 cans whole water chestnuts, drained
• 1 cup mayo
• 12 oz chili sauce
• 2 cups brown sugar

Instructions

 

Preheat oven to 325℉. Have a 9×13 inch baking dish ready.

• Wrap one of the third bacon slices around a chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Place in baking dish and repeat until all the water chestnuts are wrapped. You may still have a few pieces of bacon left.
• Place in the oven and bake for 45-minutes. Use a handful of paper towels to sop up the excess grease, or drain carefully in a heat safe cup. The paper towel method is super easy and mess free.
• While the chestnuts are in the oven make the sauce. Combine mayo, chili sauce, and brown sugar. Stir until smooth.
• Pour the sauce mixture over the bacon chestnuts and gently toss. Turn the oven heat up to 350℉ and place the baking dish back in the oven for another 45-minutes to 1 hour. Bacon should be crisp and chewy and the sauce thickened. Allow to cool 10-minutes before serving.

Notes

Tips:

1. USE GOOD BACON- Make sure to use regular or thin cut quality bacon. This will make wrapping much easier and the bacon will come out perfectly crisp and delicious. You’ll also want to choose a package with more meat to fat ratio. If there is too much fat the sauce will be greasy rather than thick and sticky.
2. MAKE AHEAD- This is great to prep ahead for a party to save you time the day of. Wrap all the chestnuts with bacon and place in baking dish. Cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready to bake. You can also make the sauce ahead of time just keep in refrigerated in a sealed container.
3. KEEP WARM IN A SLOW COOKER- If you have a warm setting on your slow cooker this is a great way to serve it at a party.
4. USE GOOD STURDY TOOTH PICKS- Because these cook in the oven for a long period of time it helps to have a thicker, sturdier toothpick. You can find my favorite kind here. 

 

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	404
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20.2g	26%
Saturated Fat 4.8g	24%
Cholesterol 34mg	11%
Sodium 1945mg	85%
Total Carbohydrate 46.4g	17%
Dietary Fiber 1.2g	4%
Total Sugars 39.4g
Protein 10.7g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 40mg	3%
Iron 1mg	5%
Potassium 247mg	5%

Keyword Bacon, Brown sugar, Chili sauce, Easy appetizer, mayo, Water chestnuts

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