Blazin' Bites - Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Smoked Chicken
No dinner bell needed. When you say the words "bacon wrapped" they will be waiting anxiously at the table, drooling.
What You'll Need
- 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- 1 lb cream cheese - softened preferred
- 1/4 cup cut jalapeños (or more if desired)
- 1-2 cups of cut mushrooms (optional)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 package of thin sliced bacon
- bbq sauce of your choice
- salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder to taste
How To Make It In Your BLAZE
I used our prototype minion method charcoal basket for this meal. You can easily smoke in your Blaze Tower using the Blaze Accessory Cooking Kit charcoal basket and I prefer wet pecan chips. Place charcoal around three joining edges of the basket (making a U shape with coals) and sprinkle them lightly with Pecan chips. Leave the middle of the basket open. Feel free to place a tin pan of water or broth in the middle to help moisten meat. Start coals, close upper tower louvers, and watch your inside temp climb. Keep temperature at around 225-250 degrees throughout entire smoking process. To bring temp down crack upper louvers open a bit.
While the coals are warming prep your chicken. Trim any fat and yucky bits off of the chicken breasts. Slice them in the middle (long ways) but not all the way through - make them like a hot dog bun opening. Sprinkle both sides of flayed chicken breasts with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Set aside until popper stuffing is mixed.
Mix softened cream cheese, cut jalapeños, and about 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce in a mixer or using your own muscles. Just make sure it's creamy like a butter spread with bits of jalapeños.
Spread cream cheese mixture on inside of chicken breasts. Fold the chicken halves back over making a whole breast again (but stuffed with goodness now). Wrap each chicken breast with three pieces of bacon. If needed, pin the bacon in place with toothpicks, just don't forget to take them out before eating. Rub a bit of BBQ sauce on top of each chicken breasts.
Place the chicken breasts in middle of the grill over the open part of the coal basket. I highly suggest using a meat thermometer, I love this wireless meat thermometer, put that in before you close the tower up for smoking the meat. The chicken needs to get to 165 degrees to be well done (never risk anything other than well done for chicken). Close the tower up and let the meat smoke for 90-120 minutes. During your first Blaze smoking experiences check the temperature of the tower throughout, after a bit of experience you'll learn how your tower holds heat and how much charcoal to use when smoking meat.
The Little Extra Bits
I chose a topping of sautéed mushrooms. The mushrooms were sautéed in the tower. Just chop up some mushrooms. Chop up some butter. Place cut mushrooms, butter, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic on a piece of foil. Wrap foil up around mushrooms and close it all off by rolling edges. I a piece of foil on top of mushrooms then rolled all the edges up just to keep things easy. Then place it in the smoker with about 45 mins left to smoke meat. At the end you'll have perfect sautéed mushrooms.
The Results Are In
This dish is mouth watering with just the right amount of kick! We had four adults and two little ones eating today. I thought the chicken breasts were huge so figured I'd have leftovers. I was wrong on the leftovers part (sorry friends and family that often get leftovers). There was nothing, not even a sliced mushroom left. That's what I want though. So give this one a go for sure. You'll impress the best.
I love smoking meat because I can put it in the Blaze Tower to smoke and just let it go. Also there was such minimal clean up, and I'm always a big fan of little clean up.
Look at that cream cheese oozing out. OMG!!! Go ahead... Lick your lips. It's totally acceptable in this case. And it tasted just as good as it looks.
