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Jalapeno Popper Chicken

Jalapeno Popper Chicken is a twist on crispy baked chicken. Stuffed with cream cheese stuffed jalapenos with slight heat give an everyday meals a new zing!

Jalapeno Popper Chicken cut in half on a grey plate, seeing close up of jalapeño and melting cream cheese. Shot of Orange Can of La Morena brand jalapeños in the background.

I’d like to thank LA MORENA® for partnering with me today’s recipe for Jalapeño Popper Chicken.   I’d never used LA MORENA® products before but was happy to discover the excellent quality in their Jalapenos. It’s easy to see how they are known for their chilis and peppers and how people keep coming back to them for use in their recipes because of the quality they provide.

I decided to use the LA MORENA® whole jalapeños because they looked so good.  They were firm and all similar sizes.  I loved that they didn’t look beat up at all …. (I also bought the sliced Jalapeño Peppers from them and they were perfect for adding to recipes to boost the flavor!)

Jalapeno Popper Chicken close up of baked crispy chicken ... whole, with jalapeños on the side with carrots.

LA MORENA® has been providing US consumers quality products for over 45 years…. it was very apparent from the moment I opened the product that they delivered what they promised!
Jalapeno Popper chicken came about because I was asked to come up with a new take on a classic recipe, maybe jazz up something or rediscover a new way to eat a family favorite.

It was perfect for my family because at our house we’re kind of rut eaters.  It was a great opportunity to step out of our comfort zones and try something a little different by rediscovering an updated take on a family classic!  By adding jalapeño poppers to our favorite bake crispy chicken we were treated to a chicken breast that was so flavorful, with just a little bit of heat in every bite!

We have a few people in our family who were afraid of trying a jalapeño, and they were delighted that they were hot, but not so hot that they couldn’t enjoy them.  (Needless to say, there were no leftovers on this meal!!)

Tutorial for Making Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken

Step by step process shots of how to make .
  1. Pound the chicken so that it is equally thick all the way thru.
  2. Here’s an example of the finished pounded chicken.  Notice it is about 1/2″ thick when finished.
  3. Cut a small opening and cut a pocket into the chicken.
  4. TIP, notice the actual opening is only about 1 1/2″ long, just long enough for the poppers to slide in.  This really helps so that the poppers don’t slide out when baking.
  5. The link of the pocket inside is almost the length of the chicken breast. (My fingers are pointing to the ends of the pocket)
  6. Stuff the poppers with the cream cheese.  TIP:  To lessen the heat for your guests that don’t like very spicy foods, cut out the seeds and the membrane inside
  7. Slide the popper in the small opening.  (not pictured, but you also use your hands to flatten the chicken stuffed with poppers so that when you bake it the chicken bakes evenly.)
  8. Brush both sides of the chicken with mustard.  This acts as the binder for the panko/cheese coating!
  9. Dredge each side generously with the panko/butter/asiago cheese mixture.  TIP:  Don’t stress if you accidentally cut thru your pocket.  I did that too (I’m pointing to where I did just that.  I just made sure when baking I placed that side on the bottom!)
  10. TIP: Place on a wire rack over a cookie sheet to bake.  This allows both sides of the chicken to get crispy!  If you don’t have a wire rack, thats fine, the side you place on the pan will just be a little less crispy!
Jalapeno Popper Chicken with a closeup of the Jalapeño Brand La Morena. Chicken is cut in half on a black plate.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken is a great meal for an easy weeknight dinner, but it’s unique enough that you can also serve to company when you have friends over for dinner.  Looking for other unique dinner ideas that are great for entertaining check out my recipe for French Onion Chicken or Parmesan Panko Coated Pork chops!

I found LA MORENA® to make the Jalapeño Popper Chicken at my local Food for Less store.  I’ve included pictures of where you can easily find it in your local store at the bottom of this post!  (It’s easy to spot in the bright orange packaging!)

Yield: 4

Jalapeno Popper Chicken

Jalapeno Popper Chicken cut in half on a black plate, seeing close up of jalapeño and melting cream cheese.

#VivaLaMorena #RediscoverLaMorena Jalapeno Popper Chicken is a twist on crispy baked chicken. Stuffed with cream cheese stuffed jalapenos with slight heat give an every day meals a new zing!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 ounces freshly grated asiago cheese
  • 1/4 cup mustard, (any kind)
  • 1 7 ounce can LA MORENA® Whole Jalapeños
  • 8 ounces Cream Cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°
  2. Rinse and dry chicken.  Place one piece on a piece of Saran Wrap and then cover with an additional piece of Saran Wrap.  (create a sandwich with the plastic wrap.)
  3. Pound the chicken to 1/2" thickness.  Repeat until all are pounded thin.
  4. Using a small knife, cut a 2" slit, then cut down to create a pocket.  (See tutorial in the post)
  5. Take LA MORENA® Whole Jalapeños and drain away all of the liquid.  Cut off the tops, and remove seeds and inside membranes.
  6. Stuff each jalapeño with cream cheese.  Each piece of chicken will use 2-3 poppers to fill the pocket.
  7. Stuff the popper into the pocket of the chicken slit.
  8. Use your hand to firmly press the poppers flat.  This will enable the chicken to be a similar thickness for even cooking.
  9. Brush each side of the chicken breast with mustard.
  10. Melt butter, then in a small bowl drizzle over bread crumbs and mix well.  Then add grated cheese to bread mixture.  Mix well.
  11. Dredge each piece of chicken into the panko mixture.  Coat well. 
  12. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and then place the chicken breasts 2 inches apart on the wire rack.
  13. bake chicken for 30-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the coating is golden brown.
  14. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

4 Servings

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 792Saturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 195mgSodium: 997mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 48g

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Jules

Monday 6th of January 2020

The great thing about chicken is that it can be flavored so many ways! I made this recipe and when I have chicken thawing his first question is if I'm making jalapeno popper chicken! We love this recipe and it's so easy to put together with your details!

Steve

Saturday 18th of November 2017

So where does the olive oil come in?

Michele

Tuesday 21st of November 2017

Steve_. Ive since removed the olive oil. I tested this recipe several times to get it right, and several of them I fried them. In the end I liked the baked much better and somehow didn't delete that when posting the recipe- Sorry about that! ~m

Amanda Mason

Monday 23rd of October 2017

This looks great! What a great way to spice up chicken! I too get sick of eating the same old chicken recipes but this one looks amazing!

Christine

Sunday 22nd of October 2017

My husband would LOVE these! I think he'd ask make to make them every day, haha. They look so delicious, I'll have to try out the recipe!

Claire

Sunday 22nd of October 2017

I love jalapeno poppers ALMOST as much as I love the fact that you turned them into a meal! My husband often complains that chicken is so bland so I can't wait to give this a try!

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