Friday, October 7, 2011

Foodie Friday: Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

Hey Humble Readers...

I'm squeaking this one in under the wire... it's been that crazy the last few days.  Okay, so not so much crazy as it has been exhausting, pukey, and lethargic.  Throw in a busy week of appointments, and a busy weekend ahead of us, and I'm just tuckered out. 

Something new and slightly odd with this pregnancy... I have been seriously craving spicy foods.  I have always enjoyed a bit of kick in my food, but now is different.  I put tobas.co in my eggs, I'm going through black pepper like mad, and anything "buffalo chicken" is my new best friend.  And, surprisingly, my heartburn hasn't kicked in any worse than normal.  Hmmmmm....

Anyway, when I saw this recipe on Pint.erest my mouth started to water.  The great thing about it is that the recipe is totally adjustable.  You can make it as spicy or as mild as you like, and it's easily increased to feed as many or as few as you like.  The version of the recipe that I adapted from can be found at Cassie Craves.

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

2 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1/3 brick light cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (the heat in a pepper lives in the ribs and seeds so remove as much or as little as you like)
1/4 cup bacon bits (you could fry up a couple strips of bacon if you like.  I just can't stand the smell)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp each garlic powder, seasoned salt, & black pepper

Cut a large pocket in the thickest part of the chicken breasts and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar, jalapeno and bacon bits.  If the mix is hard to combine, add a splash of milk to help it along.  Stuff each chicken breast with half of the cream cheese mixture.  If necessary, secure the opening with toothpicks.  Combine the spices with the bread crumbs.  Dredge each chicken breast in flour, then dip in the egg, and then roll in the seasoned bread crumbs.  Place in a greased baking dish and bake in a (preheated) 350F oven for 25 minutes.  If needed, you can finish them under the broiler for a nice crunchy brown top. 

The first time I made these, I was waaaay too conservative with the jalapeno.  Next time I will leave at least some of the seeds and ribs in the pepper.  Even my Beloved, who's not a big fan of spicy foods said this could have had a bit more kick.  I will be glad to oblige.  :)

I hope you enjoy this one.  Let me know if you try it out!

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