Recipes

[Carol1229]

New recipes for chicken are always welcome at my house. It's about the only protein that goes on sale on a regular basis and is under $2.00 a pound when it is on sale. Who would have thought that chicken would be cheaper than ground beef? Since chicken is on the menu a lot here, I never can have enough new recipes to try using it.

I have made a version of Jalapeno Popper Chicken in the past where the filling was inserted into a pocket in the chicken breast. It was delicious. When I saw this version, I knew I had to try it.

Rather than put the popper filling in the chicken, it's spread OVER the chicken then topped with a crumb mixture.....easier for sure......less messy to make-that's a winner in my book!

The original recipe calls for baking the chicken for a while without seasoning before adding the topping...I like seasoning every layer of the dishes I make, so I mixed up some of my favorite seasonings, sprinkled both sides of each chicken breast and lightly browned them in a large skillet. I then transferred them to a baking dish and finished the cooking process in the oven. This step isn't necessary but we both like the extra level of flavor it imparts.

I had thawed 4 LARGE chicken breasts thinking that would equal the 6 chicken breast halves the recipe called for....even though I was generous with the topping, I had some left over. The crumb mixture was just the right amount for topping each piece of chicken.

What a delight this recipe is. Not only did it go together quickly, it gave the great taste of the other recipe I made with less work. The chicken is moist and tender and that creamy topping sends it over the top. Add a light sprinkle of buttery crumbs and you've got yourself one DELICIOUS chicken dinner.

I served this with fresh summer squash and a tossed salad. Since the chicken pieces were so large, we split one piece so there's plenty for leftover meals this week-that's just fine with us.

Oh-and that leftover cream cheese mixture? Not to worry.....I thinned it out with a little milk, added another dollop of Greek yogurt along with a couple spoonfuls of spreadable light vegetable cream cheese and a couple more gratings of Romano cheese-it made an over the top fantastic sauce for whole wheat noodles that I served with roast beef last night.

Thank you Robyn for sharing this wonderful recipe....it's in my favorite chicken recipes folder and will be used again and again,


Carol


JALAPENO POPPER CHICKEN
(Source: Adapted from recipe by Robyn @ Add A Pinch-original recipe found HERE)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (optional)
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. black pepper

JALAPENO POPPER TOPPING:
4 slices bacon, diced
2 jalapenos, deveined, seeds removed and finely diced
1/3 c. finely chopped onion
1 (8 oz.) pkg. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 c, low fat Greek yogurt OR mayonnaise
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. shredded Romano OR Parmesan cheese

CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 c. crushed butter crackers (1/2 sleeve)
1/2 c. shredded Romano OR Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. butter, melted

Sliced green onions for garnish



Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Slightly pound down the thicker end of the chicken breasts to make the chicken more even in thickness Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, salt (if using), paprika and black pepper; sprinkle the mixture evenly over both sides of the chicken,

Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook the chicken over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides.

Place the partially cooked chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish and bake @ 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

For the jalapeno popper topping, cook the bacon in a medium skillet until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and drain. Remove all but 1-2 tsp. of the bacon fat from the pan. Sauté the onion and jalapeno in the bacon drippings until both are tender. Finely chop the cooled bacon.

Beat the cream cheese and Greek yogurt until well mixed and smooth. Add the bacon, cooked onion, jalapeno, cheddar and 1/2 c. Romano cheese; beat until well mixed.

Remove the chicken from oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Spread the jalapeno popper topping on over the top of each chicken breast until well-covered.

For the crumb topping, combine the crushed crackers, 1/2 c. Romano cheese, and melted butter until well mixed. Sprinkle over the top of the chicken. Bake @ 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the crackers are lightly browned and cream cheese mixture is bubbly.

Serve warm with a sprinkling of sliced green onions. 6 servings.