Jalapeño Popper Chicken
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I’ve seen so many versions of this dish, but Jessica’s picture (and possibly the fact that I was starving) finally nudged me into sticking it to the menu the following week. We used to have some form of stuffed chicken every week and for whatever reason we haven’t had it much lately. It was time.
Now, I adore jalapeño poppers. And by “adore” what I really mean is “could eat them by the truckload.” They have pretty much everything going for them, including a little spice, some crunch, and creamy cheese. Plus, they’re fried, which automatically makes them good.
This chicken combines the great things about poppers and puts them into a much lighter and less guilty chicken dish. Chicken breasts are stuffed with a cheesy jalapeño mixture and then rolled in crispy panko and baked. I used a method America’s Test Kitchen uses for panko breading, which is to toast it in a pan with a little bit of oil before breading. This ensures it stays nice and crisp, and I find it’s a better way to get the chicken to brown up nicely, vs. just using cooking spray.
The jalapeño I used was a bit of a dud, so I wish I would have used a second one (or at least a better one) so, don’t be like me and make sure you try your jalapeño first, to figure out how much you want to add.
Jalapeño Popper Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup panko
- 2 tsp. canola oil
- 1.5 – 2 tsp. taco seasoning or mixture below*
- 1 egg
- 2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we used 2%)
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced
- 2 chicken breasts
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 and place an ovenproof rack onto a rimmed baking dish. Spray with cooking oil.
- In a small skillet over medium heat, combine the panko with the canola oil. Cook, stirring often, until the panko is golden and crispy. Place in a shallow bowl or dish. To the panko, add the taco seasoning* and stir to combine.
- In another shallow bowl or dish, lightly beat an egg. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and jalapeños.
- Using a small utility knife, cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast, or horizontally slice the chicken through the center, until it is almost butterflied. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper, and then divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between each chicken breast’s pocket. Use toothpicks to secure, if necessary.
- Dip the chicken pieces one at a time first into the egg, and then into the panko mixture, making sure to coat the chicken completely. Place the chicken on the prepared baking rack and cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
- *Note: To make your own taco seasoning mixture, combine 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/4 tsp. cumin, 1/8 tsp. garlic powder, 1/8 tsp. onion powder, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp. oregano, 1/8 tsp. paprika, and salt and black pepper to taste.
I love jalapeno poppers and this is a great idea! Looks great!
Yours looks so good! That second picture with the cheese oozing out?? Yum! Stinks your jalapeno was a dud, hopefully next time you’ll get a spicier one!
You just can’t go wrong when you make something crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside! That’s a recipe for awesomeness!
This looks amazing, that second picture sealed the deal for me to make this soon!
Oh man, this looks delicious!!
My husband loves jalapeno poppers, and I think this chicken would be a big hit at our house. I’ll have to try it soon!
Looks like perfection! I have made a jalapeno and cream cheese stuffed chicken before but not with bacon too, yum!
I did debate adding bacon to it, but I needed the bacon for another meal. Next time!
OMG! This looks delicious!!! Gonna definitely try it soon! *SLURP*
Ok this sounds absolutely amazing! My jalapeno plant is producing peppers faster than I can use them, so always looking for more ideas.
I know what we’re making next week! Also, I’ve never heard if that toasting the panko tip. That’s an awesome idea. I’m now officially starving after looking at YOUR picture too. Thanks 🙂
So jealous that you enjoyed this, too. I had this on my menu for this week, but I had to make a different chicken dish for an upcoming swap. But I’ll take note and add the extra jalapenos…that cheese oozing out is hypnotizing. It’s an evil spell telling me to make it soon! ahhhhhh!!
This looks so good that I think I might come and kill you. That is not meant in a nasty way, but I just don’t know how else to express myself.
PS I am also a big fan of parentheses (though being English, I usually call them brackets).
Now to find Panko (is it me, or does this word sound like a type of slightly erotic underwear?). Sorry, is this too much for a first comment?
PPS (http://likedontlike.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/bracket-oh-bracket-i-heart-you/)
Nah, I love it. 😉
Well, it looks like i have dinner sorted tonight! What a super, creative dish. And I will remember that tip about the panko for future baked dishes. Thanks Elly!
This looks SO good! I’m seriously considering scrapping my original dinner plans for tonight and making this instead!
This looks soooo yummy and I’m definitly going to try it!! But is there a spot where I can go get the nutional facts (only cause I’m on Weight Watchers, and I want to figure the points out). But trust me, that won’t stop me from trying this!!
Chris, I usually enter things into sparkrecipes.com. You can add all the ingredients and then divide by the number of servings to get the nutritional facts.
Looks so good! I am not a big chicken eater, but I would throw all hesitations out the door for this one.
I for one am obsessed with jalapeno poppers, and this looks like the perfect slightly indulgent meal! yum yum yum
Wow, this chicken with jalapeno sound and look great…like the idea of the spicy chicken and the melting cheese all together…yum!
Hope you are having a nice week Elly 🙂
YES, YES, YES!! I made this Thursday night and it is officially my new favorite dish to make. My boyfriend was in heaven although next time I ask him to help dice the jalapenos, I’ll remind him to wear gloves or use a kitchen towel. Poor guy’s fingers were on fire for 2 days!! lol. This is a great spin on plain old chicken breasts! Yum!!
Glad you liked it, Tia! I always tell myself I need to wear gloves around jalapenos and never remember. Not a good thing most of the time. 🙂
Making this for dinner tonight. Here’s a tip, try putting the peppers in a small blender to chop instead of doing it with a knife. My husband loves the flavor of peppers, but doesn’t like the “crunch”, so I always do this with them. Also, trying stuffing pork loin with the cream cheese and pepper combo, then wrap it all in bacon!!
I just made this- my dad and I loved it. I hope it’s okay, I linked to this page on my cooking blog so people could see your recipe. I put the link up there in case you want to check it out. It was absolutely amazing, and I will definitely make it again! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you and your dad enjoyed it, Chelsea!
I am always looking for new yummy chicken breast recipes – these look great!
love the twist. love peppers. i will be trying this one.
I just made this recipe for dinner tonight. To.Die.For!!! Not only was it simple to make, but had such incredible flavor! Best chicken recipe I have made in years!
So glad you liked it, Tricia!
I do not have an oven proof rack, can I make this in a glass baking dish instead?
You can make it in a glass baking dish. The bottom might lose a little of its crispness.
This looks awesome! Hubs and I both love jalapeno poppers, so this dish is perfect for us. Can’t wait to try it.
Is there anything I can use to create a makeshift oven rack for my pan since I don’t have one.. I am super excited to make these tomorrow night for dinner!!
Hi Erica. If you have a roasting rack, you can use that flattened. Otherwise, I’d just put them right on a baking sheet. Toasting the panko ahead of time keeps it pretty crisp, so you should be fine. The underside might not be *quite* as crispy but you should be fine (and can always flip mid-way through). A baking stone might be good, too.
I made this recently, and it was amazing. My whole family liked it. I used a pobalano pepper instead of jalapeno, though, so my toddler could eat it too.
Awesome, glad you all liked it Amanda!
We tried this tonight and loved it! I, too, doubled the jalapeños. I pounded ours thin and folded the chicken around the mixture. It would be delish with a good ranch dip too. Thanks for the and roasting rack tips…I know it made all of the difference 🙂
Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Jenna!
OMG…just made this tonight and it was soo yummy I already reviewed it on my blog! I linked your blog from mine, just wanted to tell you it was AMAZING!
So happy you enjoyed it!
Cooking now, should this be cooked covered or uncovered? I have a little jalapeño burn on my fingers, guess it’ll be a good pepper.
uncovered
This was absolutely incredible! I did not make a single change and it turned out fantastic!!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Yay, Sarah! 🙂
Oh my GOODNESS!!! Made this last night for dinner and it was AMAZING!!!! We had our neighbors over for dinner bummer cause we didn’t have any left overs for lunch the next day!!! We used Anaheim peppers cause that is what is in our garden and the flavor in these were amazing! The chicken was so moist and the browned panko was a perfect addition to the outside of it! Def. adding this to my favorite list!! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Oh and I also have a nuwave oven and that is what I baked mine in…took half the time! Yummy!!! 😀
Glad to hear it was a hit, Amanda!
Just made this for dinner tonight – yum!! I didn’t have panko or fresh jalapeño peppers, so I just used italian bread crumbs with the taco seasoning mixed in and chopped up some of my peppers from a jar. It was delicious! Thanks so much!
Made this last night for dinner (saw it on Pinterest and it was review of the day) and it was sooooooo delicious! Thanks for sharing! I wish I had made more- it’s a keeper! I linked back to you in my blog. http://365ishpins.blogspot.com/2012/08/day-69-jalapeno-popper-stuffed-chicken.html
I made this for dinner this week and it was unbelievable!!! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe!! It was so easy and came out perfectly. The added crunch from toasting the panko beforehand really made the dish standout! And the melty, gooey cheese? Who doesn’t love that? Thanks again!
This was absolutely delicious. I will be making this again today.
Im cooking this dish right now!!!! Can’t wait to try it. How many calories is this???
I’m not sure – it really depends on how big your chicken is, what kind of cheeses you use, etc. I usually enter recipes into sparkrecipes.com to get nutritional value.
next time, try using the seeds and membrane, thats the hottest part of a pepper 🙂
I always use the membrane, but these jalapenos were still really tame. Last year, it seemed like every jalapeno I got was SUPER spicy, which I loved.
This looks so good. However, it seems odd to use taco seasoning for a jalapeno popper taste?? does it taste like tacos too?
It’s for seasoning the crust. It does not taste like tacos.
Just made this last night. Came out great! I use the thinly sliced chicken breasts and put two together with the cheese filling in between. I used a few toothpicks to seal them up and they came out beautifully! Will definitely be making this again!!!
Just a little tip from my many years of fine dining and other restaurant work….use serrano peppers instead. Serranos are often used in restaurants because they have a reliable/predictable heat factor. Jalapenos can vary anywhere from 2-10 on the heat scale, while serranos are generally a 6. Using these will prevent having “a dud” or having to taste them all before hand.
*Keep in mind though, the smaller they are, the more kick they have.
Happy cooking! Making this dish tonight!
Wow. Could this be any yummier looking? Another excuse to have jalapeno poppers…yes please! This is amazing 🙂 Can’t wait to try it out.
Tried this tonight for dinner but, took a short cut I had bought one of those new Kraft fresh take meal starters found in the dairy isle. I bought the cheddar bacon one & used this for the crumbs & cheese everything is already pretty mucheasured out for you & after reading the above thought bacon would be a good addition I also switched it up & used the Ortega jalapeno & onion taco seasoning . So yummy I would definitely make this again soon!
That jalapeno chicken looks and sounds so good!
We made this tonight and it was amazing. Toasting the panko along with cooking on a wire rack turned out great and we will definitely be doing that with our other panko recipes. My husband really hates cream cheese so we substituted queso fresco instead and it was a great decision. Probably less gooey/cheesy but the flavor was really great.
I made this tonight, and it was the best stuffed chicken I have ever had! Thanks for the new go-to recipe!
This was the most amazing dish! I made extra & had left overs… Will definitely be making this again:-)
Just made this, turned out AMAZING! Really easy to follow directions too.
I would say bake for at least 40 minutes though.
Made this tonight and it was delish! I made them into rolls instead of stuffing them and it worked like a charm!!
Made this tonight…it was awesome and easy to make. I never thought of toasting Panko in oil…great idea to keep it crunchy! Great recipe!
My husband is a big eater. Is 2 chicken breasts enough? What would I do to add to the ingredients if I did 3?
You’d need to multiply all the ingredients by 1.5.
I am hosting a party for 30, can you please tell me how to make it this crowd? Should times everything by 15? Isn’t that much? Thank you!
Ash, I’ve not made this for a crowd, but that’s what I would do. I would also coat the panko in batches, to be sure it all gets toasted instead of having some get toasted on the bottom but not the top, etc.
Made this for dinner tonight! It was AMAZING!! Favorite thing I have ever made. Can’t wait to play around with the recipe…but it is fabulous the way it is
Like a dummy I didn’t read the directions right and added the taco seasoning to the cheese mixture and stuffed the chicken…hope it’s going to be ok. :/
Myself and my other 2 sisters have been on a diet watching are carbs and fat . My sister came across this recipe and she made it tonight . We 3 take turns cooking for all of us as then we do not have a lot of leftovers. Well she made this tonight and I can only say one word…UUUUUUmmmmmmmmmmm HHHHHHHHHHHHHmmmmmmmmmm. It was fabulous . I can wait to have it again , it was mouth watering . What flavors this has .
Elly I don’t like cream cheese in my poppers and normally when I get jalapeno poppers from a casual restaurant they come with cheese other than cream cheese…. do you think I could substitute the cream cheese for another type of cheese?? What would you recommend since I’m not a big fan of cream cheese? Thanks!
I prefer poppers with cheddar instead of sour cream, but the cream cheese (and cheddar combo) really works well with this chicken. If you don’t want to use it I would just use cheddar (or whatever kind of cheese you like) but the filling just won’t be as creamy.
I have been meaning to make this for awhile and i finally made it tonight!! Came our absolutely amazing!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Hey! I made this last night, I thought I was all ready to go, turned out I wasn’t, however I improvised and it turned out fantastic! I did not buy thick chicken breasts, bought thin ones (problem 1), I also could not find fresh jalepenos, bought canned instead (problem 2), I had no toothpicks… 🙁 (problem 3). So instead I pounded out the thin breasts, used canned jalepenos and rolled them up, placing the filled chicken on a baking sheet (I used a casserole pan), with the overlapping sides down. I was also short on time. So I turned the heat up to 425* and the time they cooked down to 20-25 minutes. Despite all the challenges turned out great! Also, good for quick preparation with canned goods on hand, versus fresh. Thanks for the recipe! Its definately a family favorite!
thanks so much for this recipe, I had a good year for peppers and am looking of ideas to use them up in.
Holy crap! This is amazing. Browning the Pablo really does make it crisp as if it were fried!!! Thank you!
My boyfriend and I made this tonight with two of our friends, and it turned out wonderfully! We added a little bit of parmesan cheese to the panko (we actually used bread crumbs because they were handy) and it was delicious! Came out just like the picture! Everyone that walked through the room at our college tried it, and loved it! This will definitely be a regular meal for us!
This was the best chicken I have ever tasted! Even my picky eaters LOVED it! Thank you.
would a cooling rack work to bake them on?? im kind of confused on what to use for the “wire rack”?
Yep, that’s what I use.
Made this last night…. Turned out pretty good! Did a couple things different. I used chopped canned jalapeño instead (all that we had). I also pounded the chicken breasts flat, placed the cream cheese mixture in the middle, and then rolled it up and secured with a tooth pick. Very yummy!
Any suggestions for a great side dish to pair with this?
Since the chicken is already breaded, I didn’t want to go too carby and served it with a salad with ranch dressing. Anything will be fine with it though, like rice (cheesy rice if you want even more cheese), and/or any green veg. I think corn fritters or bread would be good, too.
What is panko? and is there a substitute for it because after googling it, seems like its not sold locally alot.
Thanks
Panko is Japanese bread crumbs. They get a lot crispier than traditional breadcrumbs, but you can use regular ones as a sub. Panko used to be hard to find a few years ago but now I see it everywhere, so hopefully you can find it.
I made this today, it was awesome! Thanks for the great pin.
I got this from a friend that stumbled upon this from pinterest! It was amazing!!!!!!!!!
this looks amazing and so easy
Made this last night and it was delicious! Thank you for an amazing recipe to be added to our regular rotation!
I love all that gooey-ness in there! And some great crunch going on there as well! Delicious!
We are gluten free at our house, so Panko is out of the question, but try grinding up some tortilla chips, or broken taco shells, I usually just keep a large ziplock around and dump the crumbs and broken chip leftovers from our tortilla chips and then use them to bread with. They brown nicely and add a nice corn flavor to Mexican food especially. add a little corn meal if you don’t have enough chip crumbs to finish your dish. Man this looks good though, I can see this on the menu soon!
A very nice version of the Jalapeno poppers.
I must try it out.
Just made this last night and it was amazing! A must try!
I saw this recipe on Pinterest this past summer. It has become a family favorite – thank you for posting it! I love that it’s easy to adapt to life in China (some ingredients can be hard to find on occasion) and to everyone’s tastes. Lots of jalapeños for the hubby, none for the kids, & just a teeny bit for me. 🙂
This is sooo yummy. I added another twist to your recipe…BACON!! I pre-cooked my bacon, cut into small pieces and added it to the cream cheese mixture…talk about heaven!! Just awesome!
Should I use canned jalapenos if I’m wanting to tame down the spice for my 4 yr old? Or do you think it would be enough for her to handle with the fresh?
Bre – it really just depends on the jalapeno. Some of them are not even all that spicy, so it’s hard to tell. My 2yo son ate this without issue. We used 1 jalapeno and it wasn’t really a very spicy one.
Okay. Thank you!!! 🙂
I’ve made this several times already, and each time it tastes better than the last! I finally made a blogpost about it!
http://myninjanaan.wordpress.com/2013/07/02/jalapeno-popper-chicken/
Glad to hear you like it so much!
You have a typo in your recipe. It says serves two when it should say a double recipe serves one.
Hah! 🙂
This was really good…only one problem….all my cheesy goodness melted right out and onto the pan. I scraped and added it to the top.
I just got married and made this for our first meal at home and boy was it a hit! There was so much flavor and the jalapeno with the cheese was A-MAZING! I actually used minced jalapeno from a jar and I found that to be much spicier. Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve made this a couple times now and everyone in my house loves it! I use green chiiles instead of jalapeno’s …turns out awesome!
This was delicious! Thanks.
I’ve made this twice now and it is a family favorite! LOVE everything.single.thing.about it! I even used jarred peppers this last time to give it some more kick. Delicious!!!
After seeding the peppers I brown them in a cast iron skillet then let them steam in a plastic baggie for about 20 minutes then mince them. Same when I make poppers. Gives the dish another layer of flavor. Wonderful recipe.
This. was. so. good!!!!! Made it tonight and am already furious that I don’t have leftovers. Fantastic 🙂
I do not know why I did not put 2 and 2 together lol but this dish is amazing and it can be done on the cheap side of price!! That right there makes it a complete winner in my eyes and the fact that my hubby wanted me to make it the following night again says Ohhh Yeahhhh you are a keeper!!!
Thanks so much for the recipe!
I would love to make this tonight! Do you think bread crumbs in place of the panko would be fine?
It would be fine Ashley, just not quite as crisp. I would skip the toasting step and just spray with cooking oil.
made these tonight, substituting pickled jalapeno slices with the juice drained for fresh jalapeno. It turned out delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
This was fantastic, thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I posted my own pictures on my blog, smokeyoven.weebly.com. I linked here for the recipe and have to thank you because this will be a staple in our household.
Yummy!
So glad you liked it!
Made this tonight!
It was so yummy!! I’m notma great cook, but this turned out amazing and my boyfriend couldn’t have been more impressed!
Thank you for sharing!
Sooo good!!
I’m allergic to cream cheese (migraine trigger) is there a substitute? Thx.
You could try a creamy cheese like mascarpone or soft goat cheese. Not the same flavor, obviously, but it would help keep the filling together.
This was wonderful.. I added a few more chopped peppers to my husbands portion after I filled mine..The dish was delicious! I never knew about roasting pankos before..made a big difference,dont skip that part 😉 Thanks sio much for a new addition to my chicken rotation !!
Freezeable before baking?
I’ve never tried, but I don’t see why not.
Soooo gooood!!! Made this tonight and everyone loved it! 🙂
Love this recipe! It’s so delicious. I added bacon to my filling just to use up some I had.
Made tonight for the 3rd or 4th time. As always, amazing. Thanks for introducing this dish!
Hi there, here’s another super belated comment on one of your recipes; I know this was posted literally years ago, but I just tried making it for the first time this month and it was genuinely delicious, so I thought you might like to get another little thumbs up!