Nashville Hot Chicken poppers

Move over jalapeño poppers. These bacon wrapped Nashville Hot Chicken poppers are the spicy bite you have been craving!

I love the spicy and savory flavor you get from Nashville Hot Chicken and I wanted to put my own twist on this classic. This recipe could not get any easier or more delicious. Plus its super low carb which is always a win. The combination of the bacon, spicy chicken, and pickle work so good together, creating the perfect handheld bite!

Ingredients you need to make these

I told you this could not get any easier. You only need 5 ingredients.

Chicken tenders: You can also take chicken breast and slice into thin strips the same length as the pickle spears.

Bacon: Thin cut works best for this

Pickle spears: Any kind will do, use spears though because whole pickles are hard to wrap.

Nashville Hot Seasoning: I used a pre-made Nashville Hot Rub but you can also use homemade.

Honey: Maple syrup or agave works great too

Homemade Nashville Hot rub

There are a lot of good Nashville Hot rubs out there but if you want to make your own, its pretty easy to do and you probably have most of the ingredients.

Combine the following together:

2-4 tablespoons cayenne pepper 
1/4 cup brown sugar 
1 tbsp garlic powder 
1 tbsp smoked paprika 
1 tbsp fine kosher salt 
2 tsp ground black pepper

Making bacon wrapped Nashville Hot chicken

First prepare the chicken tenders by seasoning them with the Nashville Hot rub. Sprinkle lightly or heavy depending on your heat preference.

Then carefully combine 1 pickle spear and 1 seasoned chicken tender and wrap them together with a slice or 2 of bacon. You can use toothpicks to secure the bacon or just tuck the ends underneath.

I chose to smoke them on my Pitboss Pellet Smoker to get a little extra flavor on them but you could also use your oven or air fryer. Both would work.

I smoked these at 350°F for about an hour until the bacon got crispy to my liking.

Once the bacon is crispy and the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165°F remove them from the smoker. Finish with a drizzle of honey and a little more Nashville Hot rub.

These spicy bites come out smokey, tangy and delicious. The bacon and pickle help keep the chicken moist during the cooking process so don’t worry about them drying out. If you are looking for a fun appetizer that is super easy to make and a little different but still familiar, you’ll want to make these.

For more easy appetizers involving bacon give these a try!

Smoked bacon wrapped pickles

Deviled eggs with bacon

Jalapeño Popper Dip

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