These Chicken Bacon Caprese Bites are the perfect appetizer to add to your tailgate or football party menu. 
Football season has officially began and this calls for lots of tailgate and finger food recipes. We love to watch high school, college and NFL games. I serve the usual dips, subs, pepperoni rolls, cheese tray and chili, but I like to try new recipes also. I had leftover rotisserie chicken one day and developed these Chicken Bacon Caprese Bites.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN BACON CAPRESE BITES:
INGREDIENTS:
(Full list of ingredients and instructions in printable recipe card.)
Roma tomatoes
white balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
minced garlic (I use from a jar)
basil
cream cheese
dried Italian seasoning
bacon
rotisserie chicken
refrigerated crescent dough sheet
mozzarella cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
Assemble the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 24 mini-muffin cup pan with no stick cooking spray.
In a medium size bowl, place the tomatoes, vinegar, salt, garlic and basil leaves. Toss gently to combine and set aside.
In a medium size bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and spices.
Stir in the chicken and bacon.
Open the crescent dough sheet and unroll onto a flat work surface. Press into about a 12 x 9 inch rectangle. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut 24 even squares. Press each square into the bottom and up sides of a muffin cup.
Spoon even amounts of the cream cheese-chicken mixture into each cup. (About 1 heaping teaspoon each.)
Top each with equal amounts of the cheese. (About 1/2 teaspoon each). Press cheese down slightly into cream cheese mixture.
Bake about 14 minutes or until dough cups are light golden brown. Remove pan from the oven to a cooling rack.
Carefully remove each dough cup with a knife and place on cooling rack.
Top with 1 teaspoon of the tomato-basil mixture.
Arrange on serving platter. Serve warm.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THESE CHICKEN BACON CAPRESE BITES
- These are so quick and easy to make, less than 30 minutes from start to finish. They are very filling and hearty.
- The caprese cups are great to serve at any gathering.
- The flavor combination of the ingredients are perfect together.
- They look so pretty and unique.
HELPFUL TIPS AND FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
This recipe used rotisserie chicken from the deli but you could use a can of chicken breast or cooked chicken.
These are best served warm so they would be better at a party where they are served soon after baking instead of packing and taking to a stadium.
Can these caprese cups be made ahead of time?
They are best if served on the day they are made. You can store any leftovers in an airtight containers and refrigerate for 1 day. Reheated leftover ones in the oven for a short time, just until warm.
What if I can’t find the crescent dough sheet?
I have had trouble myself at times finding them. Purchase the cans of crescent rolls, roll out, and pinch the seams together.
This post was shared on Sweet Little Bluebird Weekend Potluck.
Another delicious and easy appetizer to make with crescent dough:
Cranberry Sausage Walnut Crescent Roll-Ups
Chicken Bacon Caprese Bites
Ingredients
- 2 Roma tomatoes or 24 cherry diced
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic from jar
- 8 medium basil leaves chopped
- 8 oz package cream cheese softened
- 1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup cooked chicken diced (rotisserie from deli is best)
- 1 can refrigerated crescent dough sheet
- 1/3- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 24 mini-muffin cup pan with no stick cooking spray.
- In a medium size bowl, place the tomatoes, vinegar, salt, garlic and basil leaves. Toss gently to combine and set aside.
- In a medium size bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and Italian seasoning. Stir in the bacon and chicken.
- Open crescent dough sheet and unroll onto a flat work surface. Press into about a 12 x 9 inch rectangle. Using a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut 24 even squares. Press each square into the bottom and up sides of a muffin cup.
- Spoon even amounts of the cream cheese-chicken mixture into each cup. (About 1 heaping teaspoon each.)
- Top each with equal amounts of the cheese. (About 1/2 teaspoon each). Press cheese down slightly into cream cheese mixture.
- Bake about 14 minutes or until dough cups are light golden brown. Remove from oven to a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove each dough cup with a knife and place on cooling rack.
- Top with 1 teaspoon of the tomato-basil mixture and then arrange on serving trays.
- Serve warm. Yields 24 appetizer cups.
Notes
I would probably stand there and make a meal of those! They look delicious even though I don’t like football!
Thank you…and that is perfectly fine to do!