I love smoked and grilled chicken thighs. The rich flavor of chicken and texture of perfectly crispy skin are a winner every time. To up the game, we going to make Sausage Stuffed Chicken Thighs today. Boneless chicken thighs really lend themselves to being stuffed, as you start with a fairly thin piece of meat that can easily be wrapped around sausage, cheese, or other ingredients. I think the sausage adds a little kick to an already delicious chicken thigh. If you have not tried boneless chicken thighs before, I also recommend trying them un-stuffed… also very tasty. Lets get down to business…
Tools Needed
- A boning knife or a super sharp pairing knife
- Butcher’s Twine
- Smoker and/or Grill
Sausage Stuffed Chicken Thighs
- Heat the smoker up to 350 F, setup for indirect cooking
- De-bone your chicken thighs. If you have not done this before, check out the video here below…..
- Trim off any excess meat to make the chicken thigh more uniform in thickness, making them easier to roll
- Lightly season the inside of the chicken thigh with BBQ Rub. I like the Good Lov’n Rub for this recipe.
- Stuff the chicken thigh with a golf ball sized piece of sausage, rolled down to the length of the chicken thigh.
- Carefully wrap the chicken thigh around the sausage and tie up with two lengths of butcher’s twine.
- Season the outside skin with a nice even coating of BBQ Rub.
- Smoke for 1 hour.
- Heat up your gas/charcoal grill to medium/high heat. Dome temperature around 450 F.
- Finish the thighs on the grill, turning often until the skin is nice and crispy. Usually about 10 minutes, turning every 1 minute.
- Remove the twine, slice in half for dramatic effect and proudly serve your Sausage Stuffed Chicken Thighs
Sausage Stuffed Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 8 Skin-on Chicken Thighs
- 3 Sausage Links Removed from casing. Italian, Andouille, or other sausage of your choice.
Good Lov'n BBQ Rub
- 12 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
- 4 Tablespoons Seasoned Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Celery Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Pepper Mix
- 2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
- 2 Tablespoons Onion Powder
- 4 Tablespoons Paprika
- 2 Tablespoons Ancho Chile
- 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
- 2 tsp. Ground Cumin
- 2 tsp. Oregano
- 2 tsp. Thyme
- 2 tsp. Rosemary
- 2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
- 2 tsp. Mustard Powder
Instructions
-
Heat the smoker up to 350 F, setup for indirect cooking
-
De-bone your chicken thighs. Keep skin on.
-
Trim off any excess meat to make the chicken thigh more uniform in thickness, making them easier to roll
-
Lightly season the inside of the chicken thigh with BBQ Rub. I like the Good Lov'n Rub for this recipe.
-
Stuff the chicken thigh with a golf ball sized piece of sausage, rolled down to the length of the chicken thigh.
-
Carefully wrap the chicken thigh around the sausage and tie up with two lengths of butcher's twine.
-
Season the outside skin with a nice even coating of BBQ Rub.
-
Smoke for 1 hour at 350 F.
-
Heat up your gas/charcoal grill to medium/high heat setup for direct heat. Dome temperature around 450 F.
-
Finish the thighs on the grill, turning often until the skin is nice and crispy. Usually about 10 minutes, turning every 1 minute. This time could a lot less if your grill/smoker is hot. Keep an eye on them initially.
-
Remove the twine, slice in half for dramatic effect and proudly serve your Sausage Stuffed Chicken Thighs