Grilled Stuffed Chicken Thighs
Well folks it’s grilling season. You know I like me some beef, but today we are looking at chickens, and not just any yard bird, we are grilling up some thighs. It’s an overlooked cut sometimes, a good light meat/dark meat combination with a great jalapeño honey glaze. Come on the smoker’s going!
Now when we’re talking about chicken, we are also talking about the biggest bang for our buck. So chicken thighs are often overlooked but a lot cheaper. Also, they have more meat than the wing or even the leg. Today we are using a Pit Barrel Smoker but you can do this on a regular grill, just be sure to use indirect heat.
Bawl That Bird
Now the biggest trick to this is to bawl that bird, (thats Okie for Boil because a lot of you folks think I say my words weird). What boiling does is not only speed up the cooking time but it also aids in easier removal of the bone to create a small “pocket” for our stuffing.
Put the thighs in a medium sauce pan (maybe a little larger for you with thicker thighs) and boil for about 15 minutes. Once boiled and cooled a little, take a knife and slice down both sides of that bone and just peel it right on out of there.
The Magic Filling
For the deliciousness that is inside of these thighs we took cream cheese, onion powder, dry mustard, minced garlic and some brown sugar. Mix this well and then spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons right down the middle of the thigh where we removed the bone.
Pork ‘N Poultry
Now once you have all of your thighs stuffed, what I want you to do is fold them up and take a good piece of bacon and wrap the openings so that the filling doesn’t come oozing out when you put it on the grill. Then toothpick it on there.
Let’s Smoke
Today we are doing this on the Pit Barrel Smoker, but you can do this on any grill as we mentioned before. Just use indirect heat because most of the cooking is already done. We want to grill these thighs long enough to get a good infusion of all that smoke and some good coloring.
Pro Tip: By indirect heat, I mean place the hot coals on one side of the grill and the thighs on the other so they get less heat but still good smoke.
Today I am using hardwood oak coals that are good and white and then I toss on a couple handfuls of cherry wood chunks because fruit wood pairs well with chicken.
We will let these sit on the grill about 10 minutes per side.
Just Peachy
Now you may remember I said we would make a special glaze to go on these birds and for this? We are using Crown Royal Peach Whiskey, finely chopped jalapeño and a little bit of honey for that caramelization affect.
Pro Tip: If you cant find Peach Crown, you can take any good bourbon and add you about 2 heaping tablespoons of peach jam or peach preserves.
Now it’s time to whip up some of these fine peach jalapeno glaze! Give it a good coating of the glaze (recipe below), then let it go another 3 minutes. Flip ’em over and give ’em another good glazing and let it go for another 3 minutes.
Chicken needs to reach an internal temp of at least 165 degrees F.
Pro Tip: Run your smoker at an ideal smoking temperature of about 220-250 degrees F.
So folks- get out the smoker, or the grill, get out there and invite some family and friends and have some fellowship. We thank you for stopping by today and joining us on our little chicken thigh journey!
Grilled Stuffed Chicken Thighs - Cowboy Kent Rollins
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons whiskey we used Crown Royal Peach see substitute
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 jalapenos minced
- 4-6 chicken thighs bone-in
- ½ cup cream cheese softened
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 4-6 slices thick-cut bacon
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the whiskey, honey and jalapenos. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, add the chicken thighs and cover with water. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes. Remove the thighs to cool.
- Clean and preheat the smoker or grill to a medium heat.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, garlic, onion powder, dry mustard and brown sugar.
- Return to the cooled chicken thighs and carefully cut around the bone to remove and discard. Lay the thighs out, skin side down. Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture down the middle of each thigh where you removed the bone. Fold the thigh over and wrap the skin around. Wrap a piece of bacon around the thigh covering the open sides and secure with a toothpick(s).
- Place the thighs on the grill or smoker. If using a grill, be sure to place the thighs on the indirect heat side. Cook/grill for about 10 minutes each side.
- Generously baste the thighs with the whiskey glaze. Let cook for 3 minutes, flip the thighs and baste the opposite side. Cook for another 3 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Remove and baste again before serving.
