Nashville Hot Chicken Shotgun Shells

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4.30 from 10 votes

Nashville Hot Chicken Shotgun Shells

Nashville Hot Chicken Shotgun Shells for a fun twist on a Nashville hot chicken!

Prep Time30

Cook Time2 30

Total Time3

Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: People

Author: Derek Wolf

Ingredients

Chicken:

3-4 Chicken Thighs
Canola Oil as needed

Nashville Hot Seasoning:

½ cup Cayenne Pepper
2 tbsp Kosher Salt
1.5 tbsp Mustard Powder
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder

Shells:

20-24 Wright Brand Bacon Hickory
10-12 Manicotti Shells
¼ cup Nashville Hot Seasoning
1 cup Honey for glaze

Filling:

1/4 cup Plain Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Homemade Ranch:

3 tbsp of Sour Cream
3 tbsp of Mayonnaise
2 tbsp of Buttermilk
1 tbsp of Pickle Juice
2 tsp of Parsley finely chopped
2 tsp of Dill finely chopped
½ tsp of Kosher Salt
½ tsp of Black Pepper
½ tsp of Garlic Powder

Instructions

Preheat your fire to a two zone medium high temperature (around 375F).
Add some oil to your chicken thighs and season thoroughly with the Nashville Hot Seasoning. Set to the side.
Add all the ingredients for the Homemade Ranch to a bowl and mix together. Set in the fridge until ready to serve.
Add your chicken over the hot side of the grill to sear for 2 minutes per side.
Once seared, bring over to the cooler side of the grill and cook until 175F internal (about 20 minutes).
When done, pull off, rest for 5 minutes then chop it up.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
Add your manicotti shells to the water to cook for only 2.5-3 minutes (not fully cooked). They should retain most of their hardness and shape.
When done, pull them out and let them cool for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the filling, plus the chopped chicken.
Place mixture in a large plastic bag and cut off a small corner so that it is easier to pipe the filling into the pasta.
Pipe the filling into the past shells and set them to the side once done.
Next, lay out a slice of Wright Brand Hickory Bacon and wrap completely around the pasta shell. Do this for all the pasta shells and place on a rack once done.
Finally, season the outside of the shells with more Nashville Hot Seasoning and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours but ideally 4 hours.
Preheat your smoker for 250F indirect cooking. Add some wood chips or wood chunks for added smoke flavor if you desire.
Pull the shells out of the fridge and place on the smoker to cook for 1-1.5 hours.
When the bacon is looking crispy and darkened, glaze the outside of the shells with some honey mixed with some of the Nashville Hot seasoning.
Continue cooking until the sauce has become tacky and dried.
Once the shells are done, pull off and let cool for 10 minutes.
Slice, serve with the homemade ranch and enjoy!

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