This technique will also work for turkey, lamb, goat or any other leg meat. Remember to leave the skin on to help hold in the stuffing and crisp the meat as it bakes. Fill the meat with whatever you want. I made a mixture of tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella, jalapeno, and plums.
Cut straight down to the bone.
Using the knife blade work around the leg bone being careful not to cut through the meat or your fingers. Try and keep as much meat attached to the top and base of the leg.
Keep working around the bone until it is completely uncovered. Work the knife up and down to free as much space behind it as possible.
Jam as much stuffing behind the bone and into the slit as possible.
Tie the leg back together as tightly as possible. Place each in a pan stuffing up, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 365 degrees until done, for chicken about 3o minutes.
Plum salsa
- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped small
- 1 jalapeno, diced fine
- 3-4 plums, skin on, pitted and chopped small
- 1-2 ounces fresh mozzarella, chopped small
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- salt, pepper and olive oil to taste
Combine all ingredients and stir until combined.
Stuffing meats has always been a challenge for me – it seems like I can’t get it all to stay in properly. I really appreciate the how to! Love the spicy-sweet combo here.
that first picture is incredible. love that plate!
I have never heard or thought to stuff a chicken leg. What a beautiful presentaion and a great idea for me to try. Thank you for sharing!
Wow, what an interesting idea.
A lovely stuffed leg. I’m amazed at your ability to stuff and tie it up afterwards. I’m not that dexterous. 🙂 I’ve deboned chicken thighs in the past and wonder if this would work if the stuffing was put into the space left by the bone.
I love all the different techniques you employ!
Nice idea – good summer flavours. Wish I had an oven!
Plum salsa! Sounds so exotic. These would be great for a dinner parties.
What a great idea! I just don’t think I’ve the knife skills for it. You, on the other hand, never cease to amaze.
Oh yum, that looks really great. Yet another great recipe 🙂 Really great idea, I shall have to attempt something like this.
Impressive post – I can de-bone a drumstick, but rarely do it…you make it look so easy! And how lovely to stuff the meat, must have been so tasty. PS. Love the plate!
Stuffing is something I have never tried, and your pictures make it look so easy. Do you use ordinary twine to tie it up?
Normal baking twine will work just fine
Thanks – it is now on my shopping list as I am determined to try these stuffed drumsticks.
Stuffing meat like this has always been a tedious and messy project for me. Do appreciate the “how to”.
Why you don’t have a cookbook published yet is beyond me! This looks absolutely incredible and the tutorial is terrific!
Fabulous idea – I never really cook legs, usually thighs but will definitely get some legs to give this a try but not for a party of 8 though – take a bit long I think.
Have a happy weekend.
🙂 Mandy
I’m usually not a chicken leg girl, but I’ll have to get some now and try this. Don’t know why, but I’ve used this method on whole chickens but never on legs.
Love it…”Pack it in.” I like this plum theme.
Brilliant technique, can’t wait to try it.
Wow! This shows true talent. Not sure if I could master it as well, but that salsa looks fantastic
Thanks for the very comprehensive tutorial! I have never stuffed chicken legs (or any legs). The filling sounds very original and delicious!
This recipe sounds wonderful. The sweet plums with the chicken makes me think of thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up in October). I love the plate you presented this on — very nice.
Great series of “how- to” shots. I’m telling you–BETTER than a cooking show. Sorry I don’t live closer as I could be a “taster”. I know I probably won’t attempt this but know it they were delicious.
This idea is so amazing!! You never stop to amaze me! Bravissimo!
Just love all your techincal terminology!
Nice knife work, too…
Great looking post. Better not show my wife – she hates handling raw meat, though I have no such qualms. I bet it’s beautiful with the plums. For some reason I have an urge to add in some Japanese sour plums (umeboshi) too… I wonder what that would be like…
Impressive knife skill!
I love the idea..maybe now I can get the kids to eat chicken legs
Mmmmm…..I like this idea a lot! Love the fact you decided to stuff legs instead of a breast (dark meat is so much better than white!)
Simple amazing! can’t wait to give it a try! It looks not very difficult to take out the bone from the leg…and the salad must taste great!
This sounds lovely! I can imagine how the sweetness of the plums does wonders for flavoring the dark poultry meat.
Ahhh this brings back school memories… the nightmare it was to learn how to debone a whole chicken! Love the pictorial and the last photo of the tied chicken leg 🙂
These look wonderful! I don’t de-bone much so this is very helpful.
Totally awesome! Although I was hoping you’d serve them with the twine…I could always use a good floss after chicken. 😉 This is such a fun technique. I’ve never thought to stuff chicken legs before – oh the possibilities! Only one down side…I hate touch raw chicken. Wait – that’s not a downside. I’ll just get Mike to cook for me. 😉 Have a great weekend.
Wow, I am impressed (though to be honest, it doesn’t take much 😉 ). I think I could actually do this. Maybe not well, but I could do it. Yum!
Im with the others here. Never thought of stuffing a chicken leg before. But what a way to dress up an otherwise typical food.
This is the first time I saw a stuffed chicken legs, love the idea, love the recipe as well
My goodness, that looks so good!
What a great idea! Those look absolutely delicious.
I usually avoid the legs when shopping, going for the meatier portions, but I love this idea! Legs aren’t just for kids anymore 🙂
I love your tutorials or how-to post. I love these stuffed chicken legs.. they look amazing! You know I’m trying this right? You can use this method with any type of stuffing as well.. but I will be trying out your plum salsa first :).. Love this
That is totally nifty! We do something similar in my house with a chicken breast, but I like the idea of serving this up with guests. Another of your recipes saved in my ‘like’ pile!
This is so well illustrated Greg and you’ve got some wonderful flavours going on in that plum salsa. Great post.
How cool. I’ve never seen this technique before!
Plum! Should be delicious taste… But not seems easy for me, how I wish to cook chicken leg like that! Thank you dear Rufus, with my love, nia
I am hooked. Going to get a chicken leg right now! YUM!
You two are amazing! Stuffing a chicken leg! Never, ever have I seen that done! What a cool idea! Truly has to take some patience tho removing that bone! Good thing there are two of you as I’d probably pass on the deboning part!
This looks very good – difficult, but good! How hard was it to remove the meat from the bone? The taste, I’m sure, is amazing!
It’s pretty tender so not hard once cooked. As for the cutting, if you meant that, well it just takes practice. Katherine usually leaves the deboning to me, because she hates it. But she can do it just fine.
WOW… another wonderful dish. The color is good too! ….RaeDi
I never would have thought to stuff a chicken leg. What a great idea!
Love it! What an original idea- and I love that the concept is so versatile!
I have never thought of stuffing chicken legs before. It looks awesome, and I love the ingredients in that stuffing! Gorgeous.
Pingback: How Fruity is Your Chicken? | Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide