Chicken Jalapeño Popper Melt Food

CHICKEN JALAPENO POPPER CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the chicken breasts on one half of a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with the chili powder, cumin and some salt and pepper. Place the jalapeno peppers on the other half of the same baking sheet. Drizzle them with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• On a second baking sheet, lay the bacon slices out in a single layer. Put both baking sheets into the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the bacon is crispy, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese, Cheddar, sour cream, chicken stock and paprika together in a mixing bowl.
• Transfer the bacon and chicken to a cutting board. Dice the chicken and chop the bacon. Add all of the diced chicken to the cream cheese mixture along with half of the chopped bacon. Stir together until well mixed.
• Transfer half of the chicken mixture to an 8-inch square casserole dish. Arrange half of the roasted jalapenos on top of the chicken mixture. Top with the remaining chicken mixture followed by the rest of the roasted jalapenos.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the fried jalapenos, breadcrumbs and the remaining bacon. Toss with the melted butter until evenly mixed. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until bubbly and golden, 25 to 27 minutes.

JALAPENO POPPER CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F and have ready a 9x13" baking dish.
• Place the chicken breasts in a ziptop bag (or sandwich in between two sheets of wax paper) and pound them out one at a time using a rolling pin or mallet. Begin at the thick end, and continue until the chicken is of even thickness, about a 1/2" thick.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and transfer a work surface. Drizzle the chicken with the oil and season evenly with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Rub all over to adhere. Set aside.
• Place a skillet over medium-high heat and bring to temperature. Add the bacon and cook for about 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
• Add the chicken to the skillet (taking care not to overcrowd the pan and cooking in batches as needed) and sear for 3 minutes on one, then flip, and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to the casserole dish and set aside.
• Add the diced jalapeños to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often.
• Transfer the softened jalapenos, along with the bacon to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese, 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese, 1/4 cup of Cheddar, and the egg. Use a handheld mixer at medium-high speed (or a whisk) to mix the ingredients.
• Divide the mixture (about 2 large dollops) evenly over the tops of the chicken breasts. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of Monterey Jack and 1/4 cup of Cheddar. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Serve and enjoy!

CHICKEN JALAPENO POPPER QUESADILLA

Steps:

• Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, turning as needed, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving a couple of tablespoons of bacon fat.
• While the bacon is frying, mix together the pepper jack, cream cheese, cayenne pepper and cumin in a bowl. Spread onto one of the tortillas and set aside.
• Wipe out the skillet and return it to the heat. Heat the butter and reserved bacon fat until the butter is melted, then place the prepared tortilla in the skillet, cheese-side up. Top with the chicken and jalapenos. Crumble over the bacon and top with the second tortilla. Cook until golden on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board, slice and sprinkle over the cilantro before serving.

BACON-WRAPPED JALAPEñO POPPER CHICKEN

Steps:

• Wear gloves to protect your hands and use a small paring knife to cut the stem-end off the jalapeño; you should see the white ribs attached to the walls of the jalapeño. Use the paring knife to remove the ribs from the walls. Make a cut down the length of the jalapeño from the top to the tip. Carefully, without breaking the jalapeño in half, scrape out the ribs and seeds. Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl, add 3 tablespoons water, cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high power until the jalapeños turn olive green and are lightly softened but are still firm and hold their shape, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool.
• Stuff each cooled jalapeño with a piece of cream cheese; squeeze the walls around the cream cheese to force out any air pockets and to seal the jalapeño walls together.
• Mix together the cumin, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Pound the chicken lengthwise down the breast to make a rectangular 1/4-inch-thick cutlet. Sprinkle with a quarter of the seasoned salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken and seasoned salt.
• With one of the narrow ends of the chicken facing you, lay a piece of Colby Jack cheese at the bottom of the cutlet. Place 1 stuffed jalapeño crosswise on top of the cheese about 2 inches from the bottom. Tightly roll up the chicken and the cheese around the jalapeño, folding in the sides as you roll. Repeat with the remaining chicken and jalapeños.
• Lay 5 strips of bacon on a clean work surface so that the strips are slightly overlapping (about 1/4-inch) and are wide enough to completely cover a chicken roll. Place 1 chicken roll at the bottom of the bacon blanket. Wrap the bacon tightly over the chicken roll. Repeat with the remaining bacon and chicken rolls.
• Prepare a grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium-high heat.
• Place the chicken rolls, bacon seam-side down, on the cooler side of the grill. Cover and cook until the bacon is beginning to brown and the cheese is beginning to melt and ooze from the sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken rolls to the hot side of the grill and cook until lightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.