Oven Baked Jalapeno Bacon Dove Poppers are a delicious dove breast recipe. Try this wild game recipe baked in the oven for one of the best dove recipes!
I come from a family of hunters and a husband who lives to hunt. Dove are migratory birds and dove season officially kicks off hunting season where I live. My husband loves to host a large gathering for dove hunting every year. While I do not hunt, I respect the animals and don’t want anything to go to waste. I created this recipe as a way to enjoy dove without having to turn on the grill.
If you are looking for another wild game recipe, try this Sweet and Spicy Venison Chili. If you come to my house at all during football season, you are guaranteed to have a big, ol’ bowl of this!
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Jalapeno Bacon Dove Popper Details
Flavor: Sweet, spicy and salty! The sweet and salty flavor comes from the bacon and the spiciness comes from the jalapeno pepper. The dove breast is in the middle has a mild meaty taste.
Time: An hour and 15 minutes. That includes 15 minutes of prep time to make the dove poppers and an hour of hands-off bake time.
Level of Difficulty: Medium. While these dove poppers are not difficult to make, they do require some effort with slicing the dove breast meat and assembling the poppers.
Ingredients
Most ingredients for this easy recipe can be found at your local grocery store. Get in touch with some dove hunters for the meat!
- Dove Breast: Removed from breast bone
- Jalapenos: Seeds and ribs removed. Substitute mini bell peppers.
- Bacon: Use thin sliced bacon.
- Cream Cheese
Marinade Ingredients
This marinade is a simple recipe using pantry staples. If you are looking for an easier solution, use store bought Italian dressing. Both marinades will make flavorful dove recipes!
- Orange Juice
- Garlic Cloves: Alternatively, substitute garlic powder.
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Brown Sugar
- Soy Sauce
Instructions
- Begin by making the marinade. Add soy sauce, orange juice, garlic cloves and brown sugar to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Season doves with salt and black pepper. Place doves in bowl and stir to coat all breast with the sauce. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.
- Slice jalapenos in half and remove the seeds and the ribs.
- Using a butter knife, smear cream cheese on the inside of the jalapeno peppers.
- Place dove breasts on top of cream cheese. If the dove breast appear too large for the jalapenos, slice the breast in half.
- Wrap entire jalapeno with bacon. Use a toothpick to secure the popper.
- Place dover poppers in a single layer in the 9×13 pan.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour to an hour and a half until bacon is crispy.
Slice jalapenos in half and remove seeds and ribs.
Smear cream cheese inside jalapeno halves.
Place dove breast on top of cream cheese.
Add bacon on top of dove breast. Secure with a toothpick. Bake in oven.
Variations
There are so many delicious and tasty ways to enjoy these Bacon-Wrapped Dove Jalapeno Poppers! Here are a few fun variations.
- For a lighter Bacon Dove Popper, only use 1/4 of a slice of bacon. Since the bacon slice will not be large enough to wrap around the dove popper, fold the bacon and place on top of the dove meat. Secure the bacon on top using a toothpick. Alternatively, you could slice the bacon into a small bite sized piece for less calories.
- For a sweeter Jalapeno Bacon Dove Popper, drizzle honey on top of bacon during the last 10 minutes of baking. This sweetness will help to balance out the spicy jalapeno.
- For something extra, place a banana pepper on top of the bacon and secure with a toothpick before baking.
- For a less spicy version, substitute the jalapeno peppers with a mini bell pepper. If you still want a little zing, add a slice of jalapeno on top of the bacon!
- Don’t want to turn the oven on?! Try making these poppers on the grill! Grill over medium-high heat with the grill top open. Rotate the poppers often. Dove poppers are ready to enjoy when the bacon is crispy.
Equipment
- Large Bowl or Large Ziplock Bag for marinading dove breast
- Cutting Board to slice dove breast, jalapenos and, possibly, bacon
- 9×13 Pan or other large baking dish to bake dove poppers
- Toothpicks or small wooden skewers to secure dove poppers
Storage
These Jalapeno Bacon Dove Poppers are best consumed hot out of the oven. Because the dove poppers are baked, the jalapeno softens and does not hold up well. You can refrigerate the dove poppers for up to two days. The poppers will become soft but still be tasty. If storing in the refrigerator, store in an airtight container.
Top tip
If the dove breast appears too large for the jalapeno, slice it in half. Keep in mind, the breast will shrink as they bake due to water and juices evaporating and leaking out. So, if you slice the dove breast in half, after baking the breast will be bite sized. This is a great way to serve these dove poppers to someone who may be leery of the taste of dove.
If slicing the dove breast in half, cooking time will need to be reduced. I found that the smaller poppers take one hour in the oven.
FAQ
Remove dove breast from the bone by pressing the knife down and away from the bone. The dove meat is tender. Here is a great YouTube video showing how to remove dove breast from the bone.
There are many other tutorials on YouTube for how to handle removing feathers and slicing the whole bird.
Serve Jalapeno Bacon Dove Poppers as a handheld snack. These are a favorite recipe for a happy hour appetizer or to enjoy during a football game. If you want to make these dove poppers a main course, slice the poppers up and serve them over top of wild rice. Like red meat, the ‘filet mignon of the sky’ pairs well with red wine.
Dove is a red meat and is best served medium rare. To cook a dove breast to medium rare, cook until the internal temperature is 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This should allow the meat to remain juicy and pink.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Oven Baked Jalapeno Dove Poppers:
Oven Baked Jalapeno Bacon Dove Popper (Wild Game Recipe)
Equipment
- Large Bowl for marinating
- Toothpicks
- 9×13 Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 10 Dove Breast Deboned
- 8 Jalapenos
- 4 oz Cream Cheese Softened
- 1/2 lb Bacon Slices Sliced in Half or Quarters
Marinade
- 1/2 cup Orange Juice
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
Marinade
- Add orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic cloves, salt and pepper to a large bowl or large ziplock bag. Add dove. Marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Oven Baked Jalapeno Bacon Dove Popper
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Slice jalapenos in half and remove the ribs and seeds.
- Spread cream cheese on insides of jalapeno.
- Place dove breast on top of cream cheese.
- Wrap jalapeno and dove with bacon.
- Bake for a total of 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes until bacon is crispy.
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