Chicken-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates
with Gorgonzola

Rosemary perfectly anchors chicken to the flavors of dates and bacon here: The herb is sweet enough to go along with the dates, but savory enough to bring out the succulent flavors of the chicken and bacon. And the Gorgonzola does a wonderful job of cutting through the sweet and salty flavors to deliver a strong and creamy zing at the end of each bite. Really, there’s not much more you could ask for in an appetizer. • makes about 24 stuffed and wrapped dates

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• ¾ pound chicken drumsticks (about 3)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 24 dates, pitted
• 3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
• 12 strips regular cut bacon, cut crosswise in half

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Coat the chicken with the olive oil, salt, rosemary, and black pepper and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the skin is golden and the chicken is cooked through. Let cool before removing the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Tear the meat into 24 small pieces.

Cut a date lengthwise down one side and open it up like a book. Place 1 piece of the chicken meat inside with 1 teaspoon of the Gorgonzola cheese. Wrap the stuffed date with a strip of the bacon and place it on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bacon is cooked through.