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Sweet and Tangy Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts
dana vento

Sweet and Tangy Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Tangy and sweet, single serve appetizers that can be plated on a tray for any party, gathering or holiday. Super easy recipe.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 24 pieces
Course: Recipes
Cuisine: appetizer
Calories: 28
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • A Package of Bacon strips bacon Don't buy el cheapo bacon, and don't use THICK bacon. Read blog post for more info.
  • 1/3 c. soy sauce
  • 3 T. honey agave works too but honey is better
  • 2 8- oz. can water chestnuts rinsed and drained (marinade tip in blog post)
  • ¾ c. Greek yogurt
  • 3 T. Dijon mustard
  • 2 T. hot sauce chili sauce
  • ¼ t. cayenne pepper or chili-lime pepper
  • 2 T. fresh parsley roughly chopped (optional)
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste (optional)

Method
 

  1. Cut bacon strips in half lengthwise.
  2. Set aside.
  3. Mix soy sauce and honey (agave) in a medium mixing bowl.
  4. Add water chestnuts to the soy sauce and honey mixture, turning to evenly coat.
  5. Marinate at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.
  6. Do note that you need to turn the water chestnuts 2-3 times as they sit for that 30 minute time period. (get around this by using a zippered bag and placing it flat the reversing at 15 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  8. Place a metal rack inside a large, rimmed baking sheet. (tip above to keep this baking tray clean, read the blog post)
  9. Spray rack with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
  10. Drain water chestnuts, but reserve the marinade.
  11. Wrap each water chestnut with a piece of bacon.
  12. Secure bacon with a toothpick (or place on a skewer to do more at a time up to 4 water chestnuts) and place it on a baking rack.
  13. Repeat with remaining water chestnuts.
  14. Brush each appetizer with reserved marinade on all sides.
  15. Place prepared baking sheet in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
  16. Remove from oven and brush with more marinade before returning to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
  17. While the water chestnuts are roasting, it's time to make the dipping sauce.
  18. DIPPING SAUCE (optional but yummy)
  19. Combine Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, and parsley in a small bowl.
  20. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
  21. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
  22. Now remove the bacon-wrapped water chestnuts from the oven.
  23. Remove the spicy sauce for dipping from the fridge and serve with the bacon-wrapped water chestnuts.
  24. Enjoy!

Notes

You can use a bbq sauce if you don't want to create the yogurt dip.
Alternatively, you could use a store-purchased dip.
Additionally, hummus dip goes really well with this too!
Read the blog post for tips on bacon. 
You'll want to learn more about marinade options for the water chestnuts, so make sure to read the blog post I've given you some spirited ideas! 
Also, sometimes I rinse the water chestnuts, add a few tablespoons of water to a microwave-safe dish, and place water chestnuts in the dish.
Then I microwave for 5 minutes to soften a bit, to help speed the process along, once in the oven. Do note, they are HOT to work with, but also absorb the honey/soy mixture nicely when warm.