Have you ever deboned a chicken thigh? You can buy them deboned, of course (and pay a premium for somebody else having done it for you), but it’s a cool kitchen challenge for those who like to learn new tricks.
I’ll post a video further down, but first, let’s investigate what else these thighs need. The bacon itself gives them a fantastic flavour hit, which is the whole point of wrapping them in it (as well as another excuse to eat bacon). But they needed something else as well: seasoning, and oil of some kind.
Apart from basic salt and black pepper, I chose two spices: smoked paprika and turmeric, both in ground form. I mixed them with a splash of plain old cooking oil, and coated the thighs in this once I had already deboned them and added the cheese filling, but before I wrapped them in bacon.
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In the air fryer, they took only 18 minutes to cook, turning once. The combination of the spices and the bacon, with that delicious cheesy filling, made for an easy and quick weeknight meal.
Here’s a video I found. It’s simple, trust me, and surprisingly quick.
But try to be a bit neater than the instructor in this video. She left a fair bit of meat on the bones she cut away. If there is extra meat on the bones, cut it off and add to the inside of the deboned thigh (flesh side up) before adding the cheese. And don’t forget to season the inside of the thighs before adding the stuffing.
One more tip: choose thighs that have only their central bone, that bone that you always pull the meat off when eating one. Avoid thighs that still have their side bone on them. This is a very annoying habit of some operators who cut thighs that way only to add to the weight, and therefore to the price you’re paying. Nobody is going to eat that, so why pay for it? Does this annoy you as much as it does me?
And, if you’re wondering, do keep the skins on.
Air fryer bacon-wrapped, deboned chicken thighs stuffed with a cheesy filling
(Serves 2-4 depending on how many thighs you cook; I cooked 6)
Ingredients
6 chicken thighs
2 Tbsp cooking oil (sunflower, canola)
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground turmeric
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp of crumbled feta cheese per thigh
1 Tbsp of grated Cheddar per thigh
1 or 2 rashers of bacon per thigh (2 if streaky or back bacon, 1 if shoulder)
Method
Debone the thighs according to the above video, leaving the skin on. Season the flesh side with a little salt and pepper. If there are any little bits of flesh left over, put them in the centre of the thighs.
Fold the two cheeses, right in the middle, not near the edges.
Fold the thighs up.
Wrap them in bacon and place them seam side down on a board or plate.
Preheat the air fryer to 200°C. Coat the basket with cooking oil spray.
Place the wrapped chicken thighs in the basket with space between them, with the seam side down (i.e. the top side up).
Cook at 200°C for 18 minutes, turning them over carefully after 9 minutes.
Insert a skewer, press down lightly, and if the juices run clear, they’re done. If pink, give them another minute or two. But for me, they were perfectly cooked. DM
Tony Jackman is Galliova Food Writer 2023, jointly with TGIFood columnist Anna Trapido. Order his book, foodSTUFF, here
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This dish is photographed on a plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.