Brined Raspberry Chipotle, Bacon-Wrapped Parmesan Chicken

[DivotMaker]

Whew!  That title's a mouthful!  Tried something a little different today.  Started off with 4 quite large "Smart Chicken" skinless boneless breasts (a little over .5 lbs each).

Step one:  Brine for 2 hours in a basic 1 cup kosher salt/gallon of water (+1 cup orange juice) brine.

Step two:  Remove from brine and rinse.  Then, place the breasts in a gallon Ziploc bag with Robert Rothschild's Rasberry Chipotle sauce (from Sam's).  Let marinate for 3 hours.

Step Three:  Remove breasts from the raspberry chipotle sauce, cover with shaved Parmesan cheese, wrap in bacon, and give a little sprinkle of Jeff Phillips' rub.

Step Four:  Into the smoker @ 250 with 2 oz. of whiskey barrel oak.

A little over an hour later, the breasts hit 165°, and were pulled out and covered with foil. 

Analysis: The breasts were incredibly moist and tender.  The bacon was done, but not crispy - cut well, and was edible with the chicken.  I could taste a hint of the raspberry chipotle sauce, but not as much as I had hoped for.  All in all, a success on a new recipe!

Thoughts for next time:  Do everything the same, except add a coat of the raspberry chipotle sauce to the top of the breasts, after the bacon wrap.  I could also smoke to 155°, then coat with the sauce and finish on the grill (almost did this today, but opted for finishing in the smoker).

Any ideas on how to improve this?

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[DivotMaker]

No comments or suggestions?  This one must have slipped through the cracks!

[DarbyDog]

Have got to try this.  Sounds and looks wonderful. 

The lack of replys may be due to others having the problem I did - too much drooling and not enough typing

[BedouinBob]

Tony, it looks like you got great results! I agree with adding the sauce to the bird and crisp on the grill. That should give an additional pop of flavor. I also find that a lot of the pre-made chipotle sauces are a bit light on the heat. When I do chili I like to have a little more punch. I would make a raspberry compote and add the desired amount of chipotle to the mix. You may find the flavor is helped a bunch! I bet it was good eating... 

[DivotMaker]

Thanks for the replies, Walt and Bob!  They did have a good flavor, and with a few "mods" will probably be a winner.  Thanks for the suggestions!

[BIG BOB]

sounds great... where did you get that sauce?

[DivotMaker]

Got the sauce at Sam's, Bob.  It is pretty tasty, but not overly hot.

[BIG BOB]

I think I will make a trip to Sam's in the near future.... thanks for the info.

[WessPort]

I have copied your recipe for future reference..   I have not seen this sauce at our Sams, but have never really looked for it.  I will now!  In the mean time, I will just use my homemade Jalapeno jelly.

Thanks for sharing.

[DivotMaker]

Feel free to post that homemade jalapeno jelly recipe, Wess!    Sounds good!

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

I , am thinking of trying this sometime in the future maybe this weekend sounds very tasty . 

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Whiskey barrel oak and where did you get that from .

[NDKoze]

I have purchased Weber Whiskey Barrel Oak from big box stores.

You can also get it from Fruitawood, which is where I am guessing Divot got his from (just guessing ):
http://www.fruitawoodchunks.com/agoakbobach.html

[SconnieQ]

This would be a place to use that super-thin bacon from the grocery store that most of us probably try to avoid. Would render down nicely when used as a wrap at the low cook temps, and probably shorter cook time for breasts.

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

I have purchased Weber Whiskey Barrel Oak from big box stores.

You can also get it from Fruitawood, which is where I am guessing Divot got his from (just guessing ):
http://www.fruitawoodchunks.com/agoakbobach.html

Funny I get on line to check them and there product is sold out but ...................