Stuffed Chicken Legs

Cheese oozing out of Traeger stuffed chicken leg after taking a bite.

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These Stuffed Chicken Legs are oozing with melty cheese, loaded with salty ham, and wrapped in crispy bacon for the ultimate handheld BBQ dish. Juicy chicken stays tender on the grill while the bacon crisps up to perfection, locking in all that cheesy goodness. To take it over the top, a sweet and tangy honey Dijon glaze gets brushed on during the last few minutes, creating a sticky, caramelized finish that sends your taste buds on an adventure!

The combo of smoky bacon, gooey cheese, salty ham, and that glossy glaze makes this recipe next-level. The BBQ vibes are going to be off the chain once these chicken legs hit the table! They’re fun to prep, easy to pull off, and impossible to stop eating once! The new star of your backyard cookout, these stuffed chicken legs guarantee smiles all around.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: smoked stuffed chicken legs, stuffed chicken drumsticks, traeger suffed chicken legs

Servings: servings

Author: Joshua Boquist

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Chicken Legs

8 chicken legs bone-in
4 slices muenster cheese or swiss, gruyère, or havarti
4 slices deli ham black forest ham, honey ham, or prosciutto
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard or yellow mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
16 slices bacon 2 per leg or more if your bacon is small or your chicken is large

For the Honey Dijon Glaze

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

Preheat your Traeger smoker to 375°F.

Prep the Chicken

Use a sharp knife to carefully slice along the bone of each chicken leg, opening it up like a book. Don’t fully debone the chicken.
Press the meat flat.

Season and Stuff

Season the inside with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Brush each butterflied chicken leg with Dijon mustard.
Cut the cheese slices and ham in half. Lay a piece of ham and cheese over the meat.

Roll and Wrap

Roll the chicken back up around the bone to form a tight bundle.
Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each leg, covering the seam and ends to help hold everything together.

Make the Glaze

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine the ingredients for the glaze.
Let the glaze come to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the glaze to a small bowl and let it cool and thicken.

Smoke Them

Smoke the stuffed legs at 375°F for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F and the bacon is crispy. Cooking until they reach 180°F-190°F can help to make them even more tender!
Brush the chicken legs with the honey dijon glaze during the last 5 minutes and let it caramelize.
Let them rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

Cheese Tip: Use your preferred cheese. I like to use cheeses like Muenster, mozzarella, Gouda, or provolone because they are super melty and give good cheese pulls.

Internal Temperature: The USDA recommends cooking chicken drumsticks to an internal temperature of 165°F, but taking them to 180°F-190°F or higher can help to break down connective tissue and make them even more tender.

Nutrition