Monday, July 13, 2009

Bacon Wrapped Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs





From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When a day begins with a sky this blue you can safely assume that Bob or I will be manning the grill, and, because this is winner's circle week at One Perfect Bite, what goes on the grill will be a prize winning recipe. Today's offering comes from one of the Gold Kist Chicken contests. Recipes from the Gold Kist competitions are now found on the Pilgrim's Pride Recipe database. It's the creation of Alex DeSantis who I had the pleasure of meeting at a competition in New York City several years ago. Alex and his wife Shirley are one of a handful of couples who regularly compete in recipe contest. Alex is the barbecue specialist of the duo and among his other honors are the bragging rights that come with being a finalist at the Build a Better Burger competition. That is no small accomplishment but a better measure of this man is his modesty. He just doesn't speak about his successes. If there are two nicer people on the contest circuit I have yet to meet them. In today's recipe Alex took a handful of readily available ingredients and came up with this delicious entry for boneless chicken thighs. This recipe is deigned for a gas grill, but it can be made in an oven as well. On occasions where we've been rained out, I've used my oven to bake the thighs at 500 degrees F. for about 20 minutes before flashing them under the broiler to crisp the bacon. While I use a thick sliced smoky bacon for the chicken feel free to use whatever type you wish as long as it's well flavored.

Bacon Wrapped Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs
...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Alex DeSantis and Pilgrim's Pride Chicken

Ingredients:
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon plain yogurt
16 strips bacon

Directions:
1) Preheat grill according to manufacturer`s instructions for cooking by direct and indirect heat. If using charcoal grill, place coals on one side of grill, not covering entire charcoal bed. Thighs will be cooked over direct heat first and finally by indirect heat, opposite the heat source.
2) Rinse thighs, pat dry and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place maple syrup in shallow dish. Add mustard and yogurt and stir to combine. Dip thighs in syrup mixture, lightly roll up and wrap each with two strips of bacon to enclose. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if necessary. If bacon strips are long, one strip per thigh may be sufficient.
3) Lightly coat grill with oil or cooking spray. Place thighs on preheated grill 4 to 6-inches above direct heat and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Move thighs to indirect heat side of grill and continue to cook with lid closed, about 10 to 12 minutes. Watch closely to prevent burning. Test thighs for doneness. Temperature should reach 160 degrees F. on meat thermometer. Return to direct heat to crisp bacon, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and place on serving platter. Remove toothpicks and serve. Yield 4 to 6 servings.

I'm linking this to Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday event.

53 comments :

theUngourmet said...

I am such a bacon lover! This chicken looks so terrific! It would definitely get my vote!

My Little Space said...

Mary, I'm sending you an award to thank you for sharing. I think you know the rest of the rules, right? Congratutions!

My Little Space said...

And this recipe looks really good and the meat looks really tasty!

Unknown said...

this is one I want to try!

Tra La La Boom De Ay said...

Yummmmm

Anonymous said...

I love bacon and chicken. What better way to combine something both I love to eat that by this! :-) Thanks again.

Katy ~ said...

Oh my gosh does this look GOOD. What a surprise, we have all the ingredients LOL, always plenty of bacon and chicken in this household! I CANNOT wait to try this. It will be a winner here as well.

NKP said...

I will also take the maple mustard as your nod to Canadians! This is a very popular combo here, dear to our hearts. Looks wonderful, great to have a griller in the home. Looking forward to more winner's circle recipes this week.

bj said...

This really sounds delicious. My hubby is our griller so I'll pass this recipe on to him.
Thanks so much for sharing.

Martha said...

Thighs are the least favorite part of the chicken IMO but Jim loves them so am always on the lookout for interesting thigh recipes. This looks like a winner!

SmilingSally said...

I just want to gaze at that blue sky! The trees look like those I "discovered" when I went to Washington state.
Happy Blue Monday.

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

You can't go wrong with bacon and maple syrup. Those two things will make anything a winner. This looks fabulous and I've got to give it a try.

I've been on a holiday without internet access. Looks like I've missed a lot of good eats, as Alton Brown says. It's nice to be back and find something as yummy as bacon wrapped maple-mustard chicken thighs waiting for you hot off of the grill.
Sam

Debbie said...

All I can say is yum! The chicken looks so good!

Donna-FFW said...

This sounds beyond delicious!! And not so difficult. I would love to try this one! Gorgeous Mary!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

My lips are smacking looking at this Mary. The bacon looks perfectly browned and crisp and I can imagine the combination of flavors is incredible.

Schnitzel and the Trout said...

Such a lovely dish. and blue sky...

Lynne (lynnesgiftsfromtheheart) said...

What a delicious looking meal.. Thanks for sharing. Always looking for something different to cook and anything with bacon gets my vote.... hugs ~lynne~

Barb said...

Hi Mary, gracious girl...you are making me hungry. Goodness, this looks sooooo wonderful.

Happy Blue Monday.

Barb

LADY JANE said...

OMG....One perfect bite...giggle...I ate the whole thing! Leaving now to grocery store...YUM!

Annie Jeffries said...

OMG, this looks divine and with bacon!! I'm a goner. I'll have to try this.

noble pig said...

That looks so beautiful Mary and sounds delectable. The bacon, oh my word!

Heather S-G said...

Wow, it's beautiful...bacon is gorgeous. :D

Regina said...

Great. Yummy!
Nice sky too.

Have a nice week
Regina

Maria said...

Hubs would love this meal!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful blue sky and delicious chicken on the grill~~delicious!!
Happy Blue Monday!
Lynn♥

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Hi Mary,
Looks yummy. Pretty sky too. Happy Blue Monday.

claudie said...

Between your dish and B.J.'s ice cream post, I have put on 5 lbs. Now I need to get away from this computer and take the dogs for a walk... lol
Happy Blue Monday Mary
Love Claudie
xoxoxo

Pam said...

Could chicken get any better? This looks divine Mary.

Laura said...

I am so glad you stopped by my blog because it meant I found yours!

What a wonderful resource.

The chicken recipe sounds delicious.

We have a sour orange tree in the yard , and my husband likes to use sour orange juice on chicken, with maple syrup as well.

Nice to meet you,

Laura

Karen said...

I have wrapped dove and grouse in bacon and put it on the grill, but never chicken! I'll have to give this a try... love the mustard in there, too.

Printersdevil said...

This sounds wonderful. I love chicken on the grill in any form. I will be trying this one soon.

Mila said...

Amazing as always!

The Blonde Duck said...

That's my kind of chicken.

Marta said...

No wonder this recipe's a winner! Anything wrapped in bacon and glazed with maple is pretty much guaranteed to be delicious!
Thanks for sharing it with us!

Puna said...

Now this one, right on the mark. Making it some time this week.

Lori said...

These look sensational. Very beautiful presentation.

Anonymous said...

Hi Mary! Oh, you just have the most marvelous recipes! This sounds so delish! Thank you for popping in to see me!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia :)

Dawn said...

Thanks for stopping by. What a great blue view you have! The chicken dish sounds great. Hubby loves maple syrup bacon so I'll bet he likes this. I just won't tell him about the yogurt!
Dawn

Boo-Bah AKA Iris said...

Well I love bacon and I love mustard, this recipe is sure to be one that I really like.

Iris

Megan said...

This chicken looks awesome! I'm picking up some chicken thighs on my next shopping trip!

Anonymous said...

Mary this looks just perfect. I have decided to follow a gluten free diet to see if it will help the RA, and this is perfect. Not only are you my culinary guru, you really are a loving and caring person. Thanks so much for all of your uplifting comments.

Sharon said...

Your food images are so yummy!

Ivory Spring said...

What a yummy recipe, Mary!!!

Jennsmere said...

These sound yummy...hubby is always looking for something for the grill so I'll let him try this!

Thanks for sharing...I always enjoy visiting you!
Be blessed,
Susan

2 Dogs said...

That looks so good and I'm sure I can taste it!!!

Terry said...

Howdy Mary
Happy Blue Monday to you .
Wow what an awesome Blue sky .
Yummy chicken recipe too!
Thank you so much for sharing with us today.
I am so excited about your recipe .
We love to grill and our grown son loves to grill also .
We are always challenging each other when it comes to grilling :)
Thanks for the helping hand.
Have a wonderful week.
Blessings of joy to you and yours.
Happy Trails

Unknown said...

That looks like a totally perfect day and a perfect grill. Oh - I'm so hungry now... :D

Deb in Hawaii said...

Gorgeous--you have to love the bacon--yum!

Mary said...

Hello Mary!
The chicken recipe looks great! Even the kids will love this one.
Happy Blue Monday!
Mary

Martha said...

Yummy!

Happily Retired Gal said...

Oh my ... how deliciously tempting! Thanks for dropping by HRG on Monday. I'm playing catch up belatedly today after a busy start of the week away from the computer ;--)
Hugs and blessings,

Vicki ~ FL said...

Just fixed this tonight and it was delicious! Very moist too. Mine didn't present quite as well as yours but it tasted wonderful. When I told my DH about it he thought it sounded sweet...not so at all. This is definitely a keeper and thanks for sharing it with us.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Vicki, I'm so glad you enjoyed the chicken. I know we love it here.

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