Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts with Sweet and Savoury Sauce (Canned)

baconwrappedwaterchestnutssweetsavourysauce These bacon wrapped water chestnuts are crunchy marinated water chestnuts covered in bacon and a sweet and savoury sauce, then baked to perfection. A quick and easy appetizer option that's always a big hit.

3 (8 oz) cans whole water chestnuts, drained
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ tsp. garlic powder
½ cup + 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, divided
1 lb bacon, sliced, cut into thirds
¾ cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. parsley, freshly chopped, optional

Place the water chestnuts, soy sauce, garlic powder and 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar in a bowl or resealable bag.

Toss to combine. Cover the bowl or seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6). Place a rack on top of a sheet pan. Coat the rack with cooking spray. This recipe can also be made without the rack if you don't have one, I just find the bottoms get crispier this way.

Wrap each water chestnut with a piece of bacon. Secure each one with a toothpick. Arrange the water chestnuts in a single layer on the rack.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining brown sugar, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Brush the sauce mixture all over each chestnut. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy and sauce has caramelized.

Sprinkle with parsley, then serve immediately.

Makes 10 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Be sure to use whole chestnuts; the sliced version will not work.
Do not use thick cut bacon. The thicker bacon will take a lot longer to cook and get crispy.
The water chestnuts should marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are water chestnuts? Water chestnuts are not actually nuts. In fact, they are vegetables. This veggie grows underwater, hence the name. They are typically grown in Asian countries. In America, you can typically find water chestnuts sold in cans, although it is possible to find fresh water chestnuts in some markets. I typically used canned chestnuts, as they are readily available in almost all grocery stores.
Do water chestnuts stay crunchy when cooked? The great thing about water chestnuts is that they do retain their crunchy texture when cooked.
Are canned water chestnuts as good as fresh? Some people prefer the taste of fresh water chestnuts to canned. Fresh water chestnuts have a slightly sweet and nutty flavour. For this bacon wrapped water chestnuts recipe I use canned water chestnuts. You can easily find canned water chestnuts and the flavour of the bacon and sauce enhances them.

Variations:

This combination of bacon and brown sugar actually works with a number of different ingredients if you don’t have water chestnuts on hand.
Pineapple: Instead of the water chestnuts, substitute large chunks of pineapple. There’s no need to marinate the pineapple, simply wrap with bacon, bake, then add the sauce halfway through.
Chicken: Cut boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs into 1" pieces. Marinate, then follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Little Smokies: Skip the marinating, then wrap the smokies in bacon and bake. Top with sauce halfway through the baking time as directed in my bacon wrapped smokies recipe.
Shrimp: No need to marinate the shrimp. Wrap in bacon, then broil for 10-15 minutes until bacon is crisp. Top with sauce, then broil for another 2-3 minutes and serve. See my bacon wrapped shrimp recipe for more information.
You can make extra sauce to dip the chestnuts in or try dipping them in my homemade BBQ sauce or some sriracha.
These bacon wrapped water chestnuts are the perfect little bites. They have a crunchy texture and they’re smoky, sweet and savoury, all wrapped up in one delectable little package.