Bacon Wrapped Pepperoncinis

Football season is my absolute favorite time of year! We have season tickets for USC football (FIGHT ON!) and we look forward to tailgating every year! These bacon wrapped pepperoncinis are delicious and always a hit.

They are pretty time consuming and messy to make, but seriously so worth it because they're that good. For a group of 6-8 people I make about 40.

What you need:

• Pepperoncini's (I get mine at a local Italian store. It's the only place I've been able to find a jar this size. Plus, the peppers are always really big and I am able to use almost all of them.) Two smaller jars is about equivalent.
• 8oz cream cheese 
• 1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into squares
• 2 packages of bacon
• Garlic Salt
• Cayenne Pepper

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 8oz cream cheese with 1 tsp garlic powder & 1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper. If you like spicy, use more cayenne.

Fill ziplock back with cream cheese, cut one tip of the bag off.

Drain pepperoncinis, discarding any that are too small or torn.

Cut off stem and remove insides of pepperoncinis.

Using the ziplock back, fill pepperoncinis with cream cheese, adding a piece of chicken to the end.

Wrap with bacon and secure with a toothpick. (Make sure the toothpick goes all the way through the chicken so it doesn't fall out!)

Place on foil lined baking sheet that has been coated with nonstick spray.

Bake for 30 minutes, flip then bake 6-8 minutes more.

They're done once baked, however, if you're making them the night before like we do, just put them on a sheet of foil on your grill, spray with nonstick spray and cover for about 10 minutes, flipping half way. 

They take about an hour and half to make from start to finish. Totally worth it though. Your friends and your tummy will thank you!