This keto-friendly and gluten-free meal is a huge hit at my house and with everyone I have made it for. Some people are a bit scared that it will be too spicy but it isn’t very spicy at all… Unless you want it to be that is! For a milder version you want to remove the veins and seeds from the jalapenos but, if you want it spicier, leave them in or even use a spicier variety of pepper.
Ingredients:
- 1 package Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (12 Pieces)
- 12 strips Bacon
- 4 Fresh Jalapenos
- 8 oz. Cream Cheese or Neufchâtel
- 2-3 Green Onions
- 2-3 cloves Fresh Garlic
- 1 large Eggplant
- Blackened Seasoning (I use homemade but store-bought works too and Zatarain’s Blackened Seasoning
is good stuff. Here is a link to my personal recipe)
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Black Pepper (To taste)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (It doesn’t have to be expensive for this)
- 1/2 stick real butter
is good stuff. Here is a link to 
Method:
- Cut jalapenos into thirds and remove veins and seeds if desired (This will tame some of the heat)
- Mash garlic into a paste (I use a fork and a little bit of coarse sea salt for this)
- Dice green onions
- Mix onions, garlic, and cream cheese together in a bowl
- Melt the half stick of butter in the skillet
- Unroll chicken thighs and remove any unwanted fat, cartilage etc
- lay a thigh flat, put a spoonful of cream cheese and a jalapeno wedge in it, and lightly dust with some blackened seasoning and black pepper to taste (This will be the inside)
- You can repeat this process for all of them if you have a large enough work surface. I have found that just putting some plastic wrap directly on my counter works great for this.
- Roll the thigh up being careful to not make it too tight and squeeze out the cheese
- Wrap a piece of bacon around the thigh and place it into the skillet (If you place them together in the skillet
you don’t need to use toothpicks, they will stay together)
- Liberally season the tops with blackened seasoning
you don’t need to use toothpicks, they will stay together)
- Once you have placed all the thighs in the skillet
- Cook the thighs on the stovetop at medium to brown the bottoms of the thighs and bacon for 10-15 minutes (Don’t move them around or they can open up)
- Place the skillet in the oven and let them cook for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is at least 155 degrees
- Cut the stem end off the eggplant and cut it into rounds about 1/4 inch thick
- Coat them fairly lightly with olive oil (This is trickier than it sounds, they will absorb the oil like crazy and you may be tempted to add quite a bit more. If you do this, they will exude the oil when they cook and be extremely oily)
- Dust both sides of the eggplants with Old Bay Seasoning
to taste ( We like quite a bit)
- Pre-heat your Grill Pan
to medium-high heat
- Grill the eggplant on both sides until they get nice grill marks and are done through
to medium-high heat
- Remove the eggplant to a cooling rack or paper towels (If desired)
- Turn your oven to broil and crisp up the bacon on the tops (You need to watch this carefully, it can go from crispy to charred very quickly)
- Plate and enjoy!
Disclaimer: The product links on this page are Amazon affiliate links.
If, by some amazing happenstance you find yourself motivated to buy the item, I will receive a few cents from Amazon.
The facts expressed here belong to everybody, the opinions to me. The distinction is yours to draw…
