Description
Jalapeño Popper Chicken is a flavorful and creamy dish featuring tender chicken breasts smothered in a spicy, cheesy jalapeño sauce, topped with crispy bacon and green onions. Perfect for adding a kick to your dinner, this recipe combines heat, creaminess, and savory bacon in a comforting skillet meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ chicken bouillon cube
- ¾ teaspoon oregano
- ¾ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¾ teaspoon parsley
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Chicken and Other
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter or bacon drippings
- 3-4 jalapeños, seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings
- 5 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped
- 3 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Prepare Bacon: Cook the bacon low and slow in a separate skillet until crispy on each side. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings if desired for extra flavor. Roughly chop and set aside once cooled.
- Mix Sauce: Combine chicken broth, hot sauce, crumbled chicken bouillon cube, oregano, mustard powder, parsley, onion powder, and garlic powder in a medium measuring cup with a spout. Set aside.
- Flatten Chicken: Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 2-3 thinner slices. Cover with plastic wrap and pound with the textured side of a meat mallet until about ½ inch thick.
- Season Chicken: Season both sides of the chicken slices with salt, pepper, and paprika evenly.
- Sear Chicken: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown crust forms. Remove and set aside.
- Sauté Jalapeños and Garlic: Turn heat off and let pan cool slightly. Add butter (or reserved bacon drippings) and return heat to medium. Add diced jalapeños and minced garlic, cook for 3 minutes stirring continuously.
- Add Flour: Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to remove raw flour taste, stirring constantly.
- Add Sauce Mixture: Gradually add the sauce mixture in small splashes while stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer for 1 minute.
- Incorporate Cream Cheese and Sour Cream: Stir in cream cheese cubes and sour cream until melted and combined smoothly.
- Add Cheddar Cheese: Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese into the sauce and stir continuously until melted.
- Combine Chicken and Sauce: Return the seared chicken to the pan. Spoon sauce generously over the chicken and allow it to heat through for 2-3 minutes on low heat.
- Garnish and Serve: Top the dish with the chopped crispy bacon and sliced green onions. Serve with suggested sides such as rice, black beans, coleslaw, roasted potatoes, garlic bread, tortilla chips, corn salad, or roasted vegetables.
Notes
- Shredding cheese from a block results in better melting and flavor. Cheddar, Cheddar Jack, Pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack cheeses work well.
- To reduce spiciness, remove all the white membrane inside the jalapeños, which holds most of the heat, along with the seeds.
- Jalapeño Popper Chicken pairs wonderfully with corn salad, rice, black beans, coleslaw, tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa, roasted potatoes, potato wedges, roasted vegetables, or garlic bread.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat slowly to prevent the sauce from separating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 980 mg
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 130 mg
