Boneless chicken thighs are a natural for stuffing.   The cheese-stuffed jalapeño is a perfect way to keep the cheese from oozing out of the thigh and giving the whole thing a nice little Zing!!  A pan sauce, a Cuban tamale and dinner is served.  Yesterday, I explained how to remove the heat from hot peppers.  So now that you’ve done that, you need a recipe, right?  Well, this is a perfect option and it’s a nice dish to share with friends.  Quite simply, we’re placing a jalapeño popper inside a seasoned, boneless chicken thigh.  We’re going to wrap the pepper with the chicken.  Give a really nice, tight hug and roast until done.  We’ll make a pan sauce, and serve it with rice, polenta or as I did, with a Cuban tamale.  YUM!

Once I’ve deseeded the chiles, I place the chiles on a plate, cover with plastic and pop the plate in the microwave.  Zap for 1-2 minutes, remove from the microwave and let cool to room temperature.  The idea here is to slightly soften the peppers, but not to cook them.

I prefer to leave the skin-on the thighs, but that’s not necessary.  It’s up to you.  Remove the bone from each thigh by cutting it loose from the meat with a very sharp knife (throw the bones in the freezer to save for broth).  Plop the thighs into a bowl; add the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, garlic and onion granules, lime zest and juice.  Using your hands (gloved or not) rub the mixture into the meat.  Really massage it in thoroughly; cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside while you make the filling for the popper.

In a small-ish bowl, combine the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and cilantro until thoroughly mixed.  Stuff about 1-2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into the cavity in each chile, depending on the size of the chile.  Squeeze the chile closed to encase the cheese.  Set aside.

To stuff the thighs, turn them skin side down and sprinkle with additional salt.  Place a stuffed jalapeño, stuffed-side down, in the center of each boned thigh, with the stem protruding.  Wrap the thigh relatively tightly around each chile, keeping the stem out.  Place the thighs, skin-side up, in an oven-proof skillet or pan.  Roast at 325°F until done (about 165°F), about 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Be careful!  The handle(s) is/are hot, hot, hot!  Carefully remove the chicken to a platter; set aside while you make the sauce.

Place the pan over a burner turned to medium.  Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan.  Add the onion and sliced garlic.  Sauté for 2-3 minutes.  The object is to soften the onions, not brown them.  Deglaze the pan with beer (or broth).  Simmer until the onions soften and most of the liquid evaporates, 1-2 minutes.  Serve each stuffed thigh immediately, with some of the onion mixture and sauce.  I also like to give a lime wedge a good squeeze over everything.  Balance, baby…balance!

I serve these with Cuban tamales.  They are available in the freezer section of any supermarket that has a decent Latino food section.  They can be zapped, frozen and are ready in just a couple of minutes.  They are a nice foil for these, but polenta or rice would also be a tasty option.  We enjoy this with an ice cold beer!

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