Chef Tom brings together two of our favorite barbecue foods to create Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Barbecue Chicken, smoke-roasted on the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill.
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Squeezing the sliced jalapeños open instead of cutting all the way through keeps the pepper intact as one piece, so it can still hold the filling and wrap cleanly inside the chicken
- Wrapping the chicken thigh directly around the stuffed jalapeño means the pepper is fully enclosed by meat before the bacon ever goes on
- Laying one bacon slice at a 90-degree angle to seal the open ends, then wrapping two more around the body, uses three strips with different jobs instead of just wrapping randomly
- Brushing on the sauce immediately after the bundles come off the grill lets residual heat help it set, rather than the sauce sitting wet on a cooled surface
Category
Entree
Cuisine
American
Servings
8
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Calories
438
Introducing a recipe for Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Stuffed Barbecue Chicken, smoke-roasted to perfection on the grill. Try this unique and delicious recipe from Chef Tom and experience the perfect combination of two of your favorite BBQ flavors!
Ingredients
- 8 jalapeños
- 8 oz white cheddar, fine grated
- 8 oz cream cheese
-
1/4 cup Meat Church Honey Bacon BBQ Rub
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
-
Meat Church Honey Bacon BBQ Rub
- 24 slices (1 1/2 lb) classic cut bacon
-
Kozlik’s Maple Whiskey BBQ Sauce
Directions
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 375ºF set up for indirect grilling.
- Slice the stems off of the jalapeños. Be careful not to slice all the way though the flesh exposing the inside of the pepper. Slice a slit lengthwise down the pepper. Squeeze the pepper to open the cut exposing the inside of the pepper. Cut/scoop out the seeds.
- To make the jalapeño popper filling, combine the cheddar, cream cheese and 1/4 cup Meat Church Honey Bacon BBQ Rub in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, mix until well incorporated.
- Scoop the cheese mixture into the jalapeños filling them all the way full though the slit down the side of the pepper.
- Lay out a boneless skinless chicken thigh and season modestly with the Meat Church Honey Bacon BBQ Rub on both sides.
- Place a stuffed jalapeño cut side down on the chicken thigh and wrap the thigh meat around the jalapeño popper.
- Lay out two slices of bacon right next to one another. Lay out a third slice at a 90º angle to the other two slices, toward one end of the bacon slices. Place the jalapeño popper stuff chicken thigh on the bacon. Wrap the single slice around the thigh so that it covers the open ends of the thigh where the pepper may be sticking out. Roll the thigh in the other two slices of bacon to full enclose the jalapeño popper stuffed thigh.
- Season the outside of the Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper BBQ Chicken modestly with Meat Church Honey Bacon BBQ Rub.
- When all Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper BBQ Chicken thighs are assembled, transfer to the second shelf of the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill.
- Grill until the bacon begins to brown and the inside edge of the chicken meat registers 165ºF on an instant read digital thermometer, about 1 hour.
- Remove the Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Barbecue Chicken from the grill and immediately brush with Kozlik’s Bourbon Maple BBQ Sauce. Let the sauce set up and the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why squeeze the jalapeños open instead of slicing all the way through to remove a whole section?
Cutting only a slit down the side and squeezing it open keeps the pepper as one connected piece, so it holds the cream cheese filling and stays intact once it's wrapped inside the chicken.
Why wrap the chicken thigh directly around the stuffed jalapeño before adding the bacon?
Enclosing the pepper in the chicken first means the jalapeño is fully surrounded by meat, giving the bacon a clean, uniform surface to wrap around afterward rather than exposed pepper and filling.
Why place one bacon slice at a 90-degree angle before wrapping the other two around the body?
That angled slice specifically covers the open ends of the thigh where the pepper could poke through, while the other two slices wrap around the length of the bundle — each strip has a distinct job rather than just layering bacon randomly.
Why brush on the Kozlik's Maple Whiskey BBQ Sauce immediately after the bundles come off the grill?
Applying it while the bacon-wrapped chicken is still hot lets residual heat help the sauce set and tack onto the surface, rather than brushing it onto a cooled bundle where it would just sit wet.
What internal temperature should the chicken actually reach?
This recipe pulls it once the inside edge registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, matching the USDA minimum for poultry exactly.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — a regular oven can roast these bundles on a wire rack, but you'll lose the smoke flavor from the pellet grill, and rendering the bacon evenly is easier with the grill's indirect setup.
Recipe Highlights
Squeeze-opened jalapeños: Keeps the pepper intact as one wrappable piece.
Chicken-first enclosure: Fully surrounds the pepper before the bacon goes on.
Angled sealing slice: Covers the open ends where filling could escape.
Hot-off-the-grill saucing: Uses residual heat to help the glaze set.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 10 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 438
- Carbs
- 7 grams
- Protein
- 31 grams
- Fat
- 31 grams
- Sodium
- 1391 milligrams
