Bacon Wrapped, Jalapeno Popper Stuffed, Chicken Breast
What a tongue twister! But there is nothing complex about this fun recipe except the mix of flavors it brings! Great for a casual night in or a hearty appetizer for hosting the big game!
For all shapes and sizes! One aspect to this recipe that I love is how versatile it can be depending on the purpose of your cooking. For some, this would be a great dish as finger food nestled between the veggie tray and cocktail wieners, and for others, this is a perfect entrée with a baked potato and vegetable side for dinner. Both are great options! A trick here is to know your sizes/portions. When pounding the chicken flat, you are hoping to accomplish a size just slightly wider than the length of the jalapeno, so that it wraps up completely. For this reason, choose your jalapenos accordingly, as the base of this whole dish. For appetizers, choose very small jalapenos and cut the chicken breasts into fourths. For a meal, choose larger jalapenos. I made these with large jalapenos and the resulting dish was quite filling!
Choose your spice! By nature, jalapenos can have a bit of a kick, which is why poppers are traditionally made with cream cheese to tame this spice. With this dish, since the popper is also wrapped in chicken and bacon, the spice is quite a bit more diluted. If you are a fan of spicy food, you may choose to leave the seeds in for an additional kick! Or, I served these with a dash of Frank’s sauce on the side, and this gave me a dipping sauce that was a perfect pairing for my preferred spice level!
What are your go to party appetizers? I’d love to hear from you! Post a comment below!
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Enjoy!
Bacon Wrapped, Jalapeno Popper Stuffed, Chicken Breast
Equipment
- Kitchen knife
- Mixing bowl
- Meat Mallet
- Toothpicks
- Air Fryer (optional)
- Plastic Wrap (optional)
- Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 2-3 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
- 2 tbsp Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 stalk Scallion
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 large Chicken Breasts
- 4-6 pieces Bacon
- 2 medium Jalapenos
Instructions
- In mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, cheddar, chopped scallions, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Using a fork, mix together well.
- Slice jalapenos in half, and using a spoon, carefully remove seeds. Use protective gloves if sensitive to spice.
- Spoon cheese mixture inside each jalapeno, with generous portions in each. It's ok to be quite full as they will be wrapped.
- Take each chicken breast and slice in half horizontally. Using your meat mallet, pound each half quite thin (I use plastic wrap to loosely place on the top and bottom while pounding the meat to avoid a huge mess). Each half should be slightly wider than the length of each jalapeno half.
- Place a stuffed jalapeno on each chicken breast and roll tightly. Taking a strip of bacon, wrap around the outside, securing with a toothpick.
- If you are using large jalapenos/chicken breasts, you may need a piece and a half or two pieces of bacon to make it fully around each chicken.
- Place these in a baking pan and cook in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly and the bacon is crisp. Alternative is to place in a smaller container and cook in the air fryer for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve hot with your favorite sliced veggies and dip!
