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Monday, September 7, 2015

Secret Recipe Club: Bacon Wrapped Pesto Stuffed Chicken Drumsticks

So.
It's time again for the Secret Recipe Club!  What's that, you ask?  Well, it's a group of bloggers who are all assigned each other's blogs.  We hunt for recipes on said blog, and then all reveal what we made and who had who at the same time.  Fun, right?
I always enjoy getting my blog assignment and planning what I shall make each month.  This month, I had the pleasure of perusing Cindy's blog over at Hun...What's for Dinner?  Cindy is a stay-at-home mom with 2 kids and a passion for baking.  She and I don't live all that far apart, either!  I've also spent a little time on her blog in the past when I've linked up my menu planning with her on a Sunday.
There were so many interesting things to look at, I had a hard time choosing what to make!  I started looking at desserts (again!), and then realized that in the last little bit I've made an awful lot of bread/sweets/carbs for SRC.  I wanted to branch out.  So I started looking at mains, and this just spoke to me.
I have a love/hate relationship with my BBQ.  I love it for its fast and easy food prep, and that there are less dishes by my sink but more in my dishwasher at the end of the night.  I hate that I seem to burn chicken when I attempt to cook anything but boneless, skinless breasts or skewers.  But after reading about these drumsticks, I had to try again.
J wasn't convinced - he's not a fan of things that are burnt off the grill; and between the chicken skin, dripping pesto and bacon, I was sure to have flare ups, but I decided to soldier on because the promise of bacon and pesto in one dish just sounded too good not to try.
I mean bacon, pesto, chicken...how could that be bad?
I present to you now from Hun...What's for Dinner?  Bacon Wrapped Pesto Stuffed Chicken Drumsticks:

Ingredients:
8 chicken drumsticks, skin on
8 tsp pesto (I used prepared, but you could make your own)
4 slices of bacon, cut in half crosswise

Method:
1.  Gently loosen the skin on the drumsticks and pull back from the meat.  Spread with pesto before pulling skin back up over the meat.  Wrap with half slice of bacon.  Continue until all drumsticks have been prepared.
2.  Heat grill to medium-high.  Grill drumsticks, turning frequently until meat registers an internal temperature of 165F.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

From Hun...What's for Dinner?

I think this is one of the easiest things I've ever made for SRC!  Normally, I end up dirtying every dish in the kitchen and leaving it a disaster, but this was quick and easy.  I prepped the chicken in about 20 minutes.
I think nest time I would use a full strip of bacon.  The half slice didn't wrap the whole way around, and didn't cling like I thought it might when it shrunk.  I actually lost 1 slice through the grates when I turned the leg.  That just made me more careful.  I cooked these over low heat with the lid up so I could deal with the flare ups from the grease.
And here's the finished product!  Not burned beyond recognition or anything!  J and I both enjoyed these the first night, and again as a leftover.  The bacon was crispy, and the garlic flavour soaked into the chicken.  I'm thinking we've found a new winner for summer grilling.  Thanks Cindy!









9 comments:

  1. I am so glad you enjoyed these chicken drums. They are so simple and SO good!! Thanks so much for the great post for the SRC :)

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  2. Oh yum! Your wings look delicious. Great SRC pick!

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  3. Whoa! This seriously looks amazing! What a great idea

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  4. These look really good. I may have to make some more pesto so we can try these.

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  5. I think I need to try this recipe, great SRC choice.

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  6. Those look / sound fantastic! I solved the grill problem by letting the hubs do it all....

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  7. What a creative way to grill chicken. I never even thought of wrapping a leg in bacon. but now that I've seen you do it ... (heading to grill)

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