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Serbian Grilled Chicken Bundles
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Mar 31, 2025
These bacon-wrapped smoked chicken thighs may sound like pure Americana, but the inspiration comes from Belgrade. In Serbia, grilled chicken and pork are routinely stuffed with smoked ham and piquant cheese and wrapped in bacon.
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0:00
Belgrade, Serbia. The best barbecue hot spot you've never heard of
0:04
Consider these chicken thighs stuffed with mustard, ham, bacon, and cheese. It's Balkan grilling at its best
0:11
Why chicken thighs? Well, as you travel Planet Barbecue, you will find that most grill masters prefer the dark meat
0:17
It's richer, it's fattier, and it stays moister on the grill. Now, let me show you a cool technique
0:24
Take a resealable plastic bag and cut off the sides and top
0:36
And what you want to do is take this boneless, skinless chicken thigh
0:41
place it between the sheets of plastic, and pound it flat, either using a meat cleaver
0:55
That's one. Or you can even use a small cast iron skillet
1:05
To assemble the chicken packets
1:19
first season with garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper Then paint each chicken thigh with mustard
1:38
Now sprinkle with diced ham and diced cheese
1:47
I'm using gouda, which is very similar to Serbian cheese and a lot more readily available
1:54
And slightly crisped, slivered bacon. They love the smoky flavor of bacon in the Balkans
2:05
Now, close the packets and pin shut with toothpicks or small wooden skewers
2:17
flattening the chicken makes the packets easier to fill and close. Last of all
2:29
paint the packets with a little rendered bacon fat and season with garlic salt
2:37
and freshly ground black pepper. Let me go wash my hands And of course when working with raw chicken you want to wash your hands in hot soapy water and use a hand sanitizer
2:58
Okay, I'm safe and good to go. So set up your grill for direct grilling and preheat it to high
3:07
You can take a piece of bacon fat, rub it across the bars of the grate
3:12
Now, arrange your chicken bundles on the grill. And each bundle should run on the diagonal to the bars of the grate
3:30
Cooking time is quick, about four to six minutes per side. To speed up the cooking process, you can close the grill
3:38
And after two minutes, give each chicken thigh a quarter turn to lay on that crosshatch of grill marks
3:54
Once the chicken thighs are browned on one side, turn them over
3:59
And don't forget to give the chicken a quarter turn on the other side
4:12
You can see the cheese is starting to melt And to reinforce the bacon flavor at this point you can baste with a little more bacon fat
4:25
When you baste, always baste on the cooked side, not the uncooked side
4:31
So we'll close the lid another two to three minutes, and the chicken thighs will be done
4:41
And the chicken bundles look done, and there are two tests for doneness
4:45
First, the poke test. They feel firm to the touch, but you always want to double-check with an instant-read meat thermometer
4:53
Insert it not through the top, but through the side. You're looking for at least $165 or $175
5:05
We've got it. Okay, our Serbian stuffed chicken thighs
5:23
Some people like a little dab of mustard. Mmm, this chicken thigh is incredibly moist
5:36
And of course, it's pretty tough to beat bacon, ham, and cheese
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