Have you ever bitten into a perfectly cooked jalapeno popper? If you have, you know the sheer perfection that comes with that incredible punch of flavor, that surprising hit of heat, the crunchy exterior, and the cool cream cheese that comes in to smooth everything out. This is a wonderfully simple dish in theory, although adapting this flavor and texture combination for the dinner table is not so easy. Luckily, now you can harness everything that you love about perfect jalapeno poppers from the comfort of your kitchen with this stand-out recipe for jalapeno popper chicken casserole.
This yummy casserole uses home-breaded chicken to provide you with crunchy splendor with every bite, while a quick and easy cream cheese, sour cream, crispy bacon and jalapeno sauce packs a mean punch. This is also a great casserole to enjoy with the little ones, however as you have probably guessed, we would recommend cutting down on the jalapenos when preparing this dish for the kiddos. Depending on their age and taste preferences, of course, one or two chopped jalapenos would be more than enough for them. (Remember, the cream cheese and sour cream does wonders to neutralize the heat).
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
4-6
25 minutes
20 minutes
45 minutes
2lbs (900g) or 4 chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups (450g) golden breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons oil
6 slices smoked bacon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
16oz (450g) cream cheese
8oz (227g) sour cream
12oz (340g) cheddar cheese, grated
1 bunch scallions (approximately 5), chopped
5 jalapenos, de-seeded and finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C). Prepare a shallow dish containing the beaten eggs next to a shallow dish containing the breadcrumbs. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the bacon until crispy, then set to one side, keeping the heat on the frying pan.
Dip each chicken breast strip into the eggs, then shake in the breadcrumbs until coated before frying in the bacon grease on both sides until golden brown. Add more oil if necessary. Once browned, place the chicken strips on the bottom of a greased 3-quart casserole dish.
Chop the bacon into small pieces. In a large bowl, stir together the sour cream, cream cheese, scallions, and add the chopped jalapenos, half of the bacon and half of the grated cheddar cheese. Stir well until blended and pour the sauce the breaded chicken.
Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese and bacon over the top and place into the oven, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve while hot.
Pro tip: For a quicker road to creating this amazing dish, feel free to purchase pre-breaded chicken cutlets to use in this recipe. Alternatively, you can also opt to buy extra chicken to bread and fry, which you can then store in your freezer for later use.
