Jalapeno Popper Chicken Bake

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Bake: All of the delicious flavor of cream cheese jalapeño poppers are stuffed into this Jalapeño Popper Chicken Bake recipe to make a quick, easy, and over the top tasty dinner.  You will find tender chicken breast layered with cream cheese and topped with fresh jalapeño peppers and rich cheddar cheese and finished off with the perfect amount of crispy bacon.  If you love jalapeño poppers as an appetizer you are going to go crazy for this easy dinner recipe.

This recipe is naturally gluten free, low carb, and friendly for low carb and keto diets.

Why I Love this Recipe

• Hands down delicious– It is a crowd pleaser and can be made mild or spicy
• Really simple– No fancy cooking techniques, this one is super easy!
• Only a few ingredients– and you may already have them on hand
• One Dish – one basic casserole dish is needed, so its quick to make and to clean up
• FAST! You can get from the fridge to the oven in as little as 15 minutes.

How to make Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole

This recipe is both super tasty and also super quick and easy!  I am going to walk through some of my tips on making this Jalapeño Popper Chicken Bake recipe.

Ingredients Jalapeno Popper Chicken Bake

• Chicken breast- This will be about 3-4 average sized chicken breasts.  If the chicken breasts are thick, I recommend cutting them in half so that they are half the thickness.  This will help the dish cook more quickly and evenly.
• Garlic powder
• Cream cheese- I use regular Philadelphia cream cheese when I make this recipe.  You can also sub light cream cheese, but fat free cream cheese will not work will since it doesn’t melt the same way.
• Fresh jalapeño peppers- You can find fresh jalapeños in the produce department of any grocery store.
• Sharp cheddar cheese- I really prefer sharp cheddar for this recipe.  It is great because it packs a lot of flavor.  If you are in a pinch you can substitute mild cheddar or mexican blend cheese.
• Crumbled crispy bacon- I think fresh bacon works best for this.  I like to cook bacon in the oven like this and then throw the leftovers in a bag in the freezer so I can reuse them easily in any recipe. Make sure the bacon is nice and crispy, then crumble it up until you get half a cup.

Recipe Tips Jalapeno Popper Chicken Bake

1. Use thin chicken breasts– If you want the most tender, juicy chicken, it helps to either slice or pound the chicken thin. This allows the meat to cook more quickly and evenly, which will help it stay more tender and juicy, not to mention give you more surface area for that delicious Jalapeno Popper topping!
2. Control how spicy it is- This dish can range anywhere from a mild level of spicy, to very spicy. It will all depend on how you prepare the jalapeños. To make this kid-friendly, I remove all seeds and ribs from the jalapeños which will make them mild.
   
   If you like spicy food, I recommend leaving some or all of the seeds and ribs in the jalapeños. You can also just remove some to take the heat down a notch but still give a little kick.
3. Use a Large Casserole Dish – Another key tip to even cooking is a large pan. You want to use a casserole dish, or oven safe pan with sides, that allows you to lay the chicken breasts in flat, without overcrowding or layering them. A pan that is too small will make the chicken bake take longer to cook.
4. Don’t overcook – One of the main reasons for dry, stringy chicken is overcooking. For this recipes it is as simple as not leaving it in the oven too long! After you’ve remove the foil, let it bake for 5 more minutes, then check the temperature with a meat thermometer if possible so you pull them out at the perfect 165°F.

Recipe Short Cuts Jalapeno Popper Chicken Bake

If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!

• Use jarred jalapeños– Although I think it gives a more authentic Jalapeno popper flavor with fresh jalapeños, you can save some time by using jarred jalapeños.
• Use pre cooked chicken– I have had great luck when time is short, using pre-cooked chicken breast (I use this baked chicken recipe) and then just adding the toppings on and baking to heat everything through.
• Prepare as a freezer meal– This can go from fridge to oven when you have already prepped it in advance. See full directions below.

Recipe Variations Jalapeno Popper Chicken Bake

If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!

• Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken– If you want to make this a little fancier, you can stuff the filling inside instead of baking it on top of the Jalapeno Popper Chicken. To do this, instead of pounding the chicken flat, cut a slit in the chicken. To prepare the filling, dice the jalapeno, and mix it with the cream cheese and cheddar cheese, then stuff it inside the chicken breast. I recommend searing the outside of the chicken in a skillet, then transferring the chicken to the oven to finish baking.
• Crockpot Jalapeno Chicken– To make this recipe in a crock pot, layer the chicken jalapeno, and cream cheese in the crockpot and cook on high for 2.5-3 hours, or low for 3.5-4 hours. Then before serving, sprinkle with cheddar cheese and crispy bacon.

Freezer Meal Instructions

Making this Jalapeno Popper Chicken Bake recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 6 months.

1. Season the chicken as directed and spread cream cheese on top.
2. Lay the jalapeno peppers on, then top with cheese.
3. FREEZE
4. Once ready to cook, thaw for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator and then bake as directed. *Cook time may increase by up to 10 minutes since it will start from a colder point.