Stuffed Grilled Chicken Wings w/Bacon Spinach & Artichoke Dip - Tailgate Party Recipe

Stuffed Grilled Chicken Wings w/Bacon Spinach & Artichoke Dip  - Tailgate Party Recipe

We all know that chicken wings are a quintessential tailgating and game watching party food. They’re normally easy to prep & quick to cook on the grill or in the oven or frying pan. You brine, season with Hook’s Rub, cook and sauce them before dipping in blue cheese, BBQ sauce, ranch, teriyaki, hot sauce or some other tasty dip! 

This recipe is a twist on a tailgate classic finger food which is sure to make new fans of your hall of fame cooking skills! We make a SUPER simple bacon-laced spinach and artichoke dip, then debone a chicken wing flat, stuff it, then grill it to perfection! The great thing is, you can use any of our nine Hook’s Rub flavors to level up this easy dish.

Try this at your next tailgate as it can be made ahead of time or on game day. Then get ready for cheers from your friends for the delicious food you’ve created! 

 Stuffed Grilled Chicken Wings w/Bacon Spinach & Artichoke Dip

RECIPE:
Ingredient List:

• Hook’s Rub Tacos Everyday, H-Town AP, Cajun Red, Lemon Pepper, Rasta Rub or Smokin' Sweetness 
• 12x Fryer Size Chicken Wings
• 8 oz Bacon (cooked & chopped)
• 16 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
• 8 oz Artichoke Hearts
• 1 Cup Fresh Spinach (chopped)
• 1/4 Cup Red Onion (finely diced)
• 1 TBS Minced Garlic or 2 Garlic Cloves Peeled and Minced
• 1/4 Cup Cornstarch 

TOOLS:

• Stand Mixer (or you can use mixing bowls)
• Sharp Chef’s Knife
• Sharp Filet Knife
• Sharp Pairing Knife
• Kitchen Scissors 
• Piping Bag or Ziplock Bag
• Mixing Bowls
• 2x Cutting Boards (one for chicken and one for veggies & bacon
• Toothpicks
• Large Spoons
• Tongs
• Serving Dishes
• grill with charcoal or oven

METHOD:

1. Rough chop the spinach, cooked bacon, artichoke hearts, mince the garlic & finely dice the onions on a cutting board. 
2. In a stand mixer (or mixing bowl), drop in the cream cheese, bacon, spinach, onion and garlic. 
3. Season with H-Town AP or a hotter or sweeter Hook’s Rub flavor to taste. 
   
4. Mix on medium speed until well combined (about 2-4 minutes). You can also use a spoon in a mixing bowl until incorporated. 
5. Using a spoon, stuff into a piping bag with a wide-mouthed tip enclosing the end or a ziplock bag and seal the end of the bag. Then set in the refrigerator if saving until the next day or set aside while you prep the chicken.
   
   PRO TIP: This next step takes a little patience, BUT TRUST ME, the more you do the quicker you’ll get! #TrustTheProcess
   
   
6. Fryer chicken wings are larger than the little wings you get at a wing restaurant. It consists of 3 parts: drumette, flat & tip.
7. First, using not much force, fold back and pop the joint between the drumette and flat. Then use your chef knife or boning knife to chop off the drumette. You can save it for wings, soup or whatever in a ziplock bag in the fridge or freezer. 
8. Next, similar to before pop the bone joint between the flat and wing tip. This time we’ll leave the flat on. 
   
9. BE VERY CAREFUL with knives and scissors. Take your time, the meat isn’t going anywhere. Using either the pairing knife or kitchen scissors (which we think is easiest) chop thru and away the tendons on the open flat joint you chopped in step 7.
10. As you cut thru the end tendons, peel back the edges of the meat and skin exposing the 2 small bones that make up the flat and move them back and forth until they snap out. If there are other tendons you’d like to remove, do that now. Then fold back in and smooth out the chicken flat meat along with skin on top, leaving a boneless flat. Set aside and repeat for the other wings. 
11. Cut the tip of the piping or ziplock bag large enough to push out the ingredients  and carefully fill each chicken wing cavity with the cream cheese mixture. Make sure to leave a little space to fold the meat end over or so that they can be put together enclosed later. 
    
12. From the end that was filled, fold the meat over the end or purse together the end of the meat and sew or enclose with a toothpick. If the meat is too warm to poke easily, you can put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour to stiffen up.  
    
13. Season the outside of the wing and sprinkle cornstarch for added crispiness.
    
14. Cook on a piping hot charcoal grill (indirect = not directly over coals) for about 20 minutes, on a 400 degree pellet grill or in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the juices run clear and the meat reaches a done temperature of 170-180 degrees. Flip at 10 minutes. 
    
    PRO TIP: This can also be dredged in raw egg & seasoned flour then deep fried for 4-6 minutes until done. 
    
    
15. Sometimes we like to add them to a mixing bowl and toss in sauce and/or seasoning or you can just put directly on a platter and serve with your favorite sauces alongside celery & carrots. Our favorite sauce to drizzle is Yellowbird Blue Agave Sriracha. 
16. Pair this stuffed chicken wing with our Prickly Cow Margarita and enjoy your friends the game! (Always drink responsibly for 21+)

ALTERNATIVE SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

• For a Texas taste, use any of our flavors from the Texas 3 Step Combo
• For spicy wings, use our Rasta Rub or Cajun Red
• For a more fresh, herbaceous flavor, use the Fresh Catch  or Lemon Pepper
• You can glaze/serve with BBQ sauce, sweet Thai chili sauce, teriyaki sauce or any other you can think of. The possibilities are endless.

** If you like this recipe & have cooked it, please leave a review, follow us on Instagram: @HooksSpiceRubs & TikTok: @HooksRub and share it with your friends!