Boudin-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs

A couple of weeks ago, Syd Kearney, food, restaurant, and bar news reporter at the Houston Chronicle put out a Twitter call to anyone with "a great game day dish for parties/tailgating." I replied, sent her a message with an old favorite recipe of mine, and we soon thereafter had a brief telephone interview.

On August 31, she published the story "Cooks' Kickoff: Tailgating fare as upscale potluck", which was featured on the front page of the STAR/FLAVOR section of the Chronicle on September 2. My recipe for Smoked Boudin-Stuffed Chicken Thighs was featured on page 4 of the section. It had been a while since I made these, and I didn't really have any decent pictures to share. I've had several inquires about these since the article was posted, so this past weekend I dusted off the recipe and set out to make a batch and take some decent pics of the steps along the way to share. Now you too can tackle these at home!

Smoked Boudin-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Thighs

(aka "Boudin Eggs")

Ingredients:

10-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

6 c. buttermilk

Your favorite BBQ chicken rub/seasoning

Fresh-ground black pepper, coarse

1 link of pre-smoked, spicy boudin
1 lb. bacon (Wright Brand, or your favorite brand/flavor)

Your favorite BBQ sauce

½ c. orange juice or pineapple juice

Process:

Trim fat from boneless, skinless chicken thighs with kitchen shears. Place between two layers of plastic wrap (or a zip seal bag) and pound gently with a mallet to try to achieve some uniform thickness. Place in non-reactive dish or bowl, cover with buttermilk, and place in refrigerator for about 4 hours. 

Remove from refrigerator, remove pieces from buttermilk and let drain; discard buttermilk. Transfer each piece to a separate clean non-reactive dish, lightly dusting each piece with your favorite rub and coarse-ground black pepper. Return to refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

These work best in a smoker or grill on indirect heat. At this step in the process, its time to start your fire. For the best result, you’re going to want to target about 235 deg. F for a low and slow cook temperature.