Jalapeno Popper Inspired Yumminess
There's just something about the jalapeno popper that is just too good. I can't explain it, but they're simply delish! Even when I didn't like eating the peppers themselves, I loved the poppers. Now mind you, I also believe just about anything deep fried is delish! I haven't found anything fried I haven't loved, but I say just about anything because I'm sure there is something out there that simply shouldn't be fried... but to date, I haven't found it... from veggies to twinkies - it's all fabulous when deep fried. But I digress...
I think another reason I like poppers is the cream cheese. So I decided to set out to make a few jalapeno popper inspired meals. One I found online and took from the stove top and moved it to the crock-pot... one was inspired by different grilled cheeses I've heard of... one was a friend's idea... and one was a complete experiment... the last two are a result of the experiment and thinking of other things to do with the simple mixture...
So - if you're a jalapeno popper fan, I invite you to take a look at these... I'd also welcome any comments regarding your favorite jalapeno popper dishes - I'm sure there's a lot more yummy dishes out there :)
Popper Inspired Chicken Chili:
1 Small White Onion (diced)
2 Medium Jalapeno Peppers (seeds removed and diced)
1 Tbl Minced Garlic
1 Pound Chicken Breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 Tbl Basil
1 Cup Dried Cannellini Beans
1/2 Cup Dried Great Northern Beans
14 Ounce Petite Diced Tomatoes with Juices
6 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Cup Frozen Corn
8 Ounce Cream Cheese
Place all ingredients in crock-pot, turn on low, and cook for 8 - 9 hours.
If you want a thinner chili, add an extra cup of chicken stock.
Popper Stuffed Chicken:
4 Medium Chicken Breasts (pounded to about 1/4 inch thickness each)
16 Ounce Cream Cheese (room temp)
1/4 Cup Diced Jalapenos
1/2 Cup Shredded Pepper Jack
1/4 Cup Shredded Italian Cheese
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
3/4 Cup Italian Panko Bread Crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a glass baking dish.
Combine bread crumbs and grated cheese and spread out on a plate. Set aside.
Combine cream cheese, jalapenos, and shredded cheeses in a small bowl with a mixer to combine.
Spread 1/4 of mixture onto a chicken breast, fold in half and close with a toothpick. Cover in bread crumb mixture by patting it down on each side of the chicken breast so that it sticks. Fold in half and close with a toothpick.
FYI - colored toothpicks will leave color behind... hence the small blue spot in the photo... so I recommend using plain toothpicks so you don't end up with funky colors.
Place coated chicken breast in the greased baking dish and repeat with remaining 3 breasts.
Lightly spray the tops of each with cooking spray. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
Stuffed Peppers Wrapped in Bacon:
20 Large Jalapeno Peppers
1 Pound Bacon (20 slices)
1 Pound Sausage
8 Ounce Cream Cheese (room temp)
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Rinse your peppers. Slice off the top (removing the stem) and slice down one side so that you can de-seed the inside of the pepper. DO NOT cut in half.
Cook sausage in skillet until done. Drain grease and remove from heat. Add in cream cheese and stir together until combined. Mix in cheddar.
Stuff each pepper with your cream cheese mixture. Cut your bacon in half and wrap each pepper with two halves, one wrapping around the top and the other around the side. Use a toothpick to keep the bacon in place and hold the pepper closed.
Place peppers on a large cookie sheet and bake until bacon is crispy and peppers are soft. We turned them about 20 minutes in to be sure to get the bottom crispy too.
Sorry - we didn't time this, I'd guess it was about 30 - 40 minutes, but we were talking a lot so honestly I don't know.
Popper and Bacon Grilled Cheese:
2 Slices Italian Bread (thick)
1 Ounce Cream Cheese
3 Slices Jalapenos (diced)
1 Slice Pepper Jack Cheese
2 Slices Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
Butter
Grease a frying pan and heat up on medium high.
Butter one side of each slice of bread and set aside.
In small bowl - combine your cream cheese and jalapenos. If your cream cheese is not soft enough, you can warm it in the microwave for about 20 - 30 seconds.
On other side of one side of bread, spread half your cream cheese mixture. Then place, butter side down, in your pan. Sprinkle half your bacon on top and then top with slice of pepper jack. Sprinkle additional half of bacon on top of pepper jack, and spread the rest of the cream cheese mixture over the other side of the remaining slice. Lay, butter side up, on top.
Cook until bottom slice is golden brown and then flip over to brown the top.
Warm Popper Dip:
8 Ounce Cream Cheese (room temp)
4 Ounce Chopped Green Chiles
5.3 Ounce Yoplait Plain Greek Yogurt
Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
Mix all ingredients together and place in oven safe dish. I lightly sprinkled the top with some breadcrumbs and pepper jack cheese... but this is totally optional. I also think it would've been better to mix some melted butter in with the breadcrumbs. We ended up stirring it all together but I didn't get another photo... we were too busy eating :)
Bake in oven for at least 30 minutes to get it good and melty.
If you like a thinner dip, you can mix in another greek yogurt.
Black Bean Jalapeno Pinwheels:
5 10-Inch Spinach Tortillas
8 Ounce Cream Cheese (room temp)
4 Ounce Chopped Green Chiles
1 Can Black Beans (15 ounces)
Mix together your cream cheese and chiles.
Lay out your tortillas and spread cream cheese mixture over each - make it your desired thickness. I like it so that I cannot see the tortilla under the cream cheese but not too thick.
Evenly divide your beans per tortilla and sprinkle over top of cream cheese. Lightly press into the cream cheese to hold them in place.
Tightly roll up your tortillas and place on a plate, seam side down. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to allow the cream cheese to set back up, and then slice into rounds.
I think another reason I like poppers is the cream cheese. So I decided to set out to make a few jalapeno popper inspired meals. One I found online and took from the stove top and moved it to the crock-pot... one was inspired by different grilled cheeses I've heard of... one was a friend's idea... and one was a complete experiment... the last two are a result of the experiment and thinking of other things to do with the simple mixture...
So - if you're a jalapeno popper fan, I invite you to take a look at these... I'd also welcome any comments regarding your favorite jalapeno popper dishes - I'm sure there's a lot more yummy dishes out there :)
Recipes below:
Popper Inspired Chicken Chili
Popper Stuffed Chicken
Stuffed Peppers Wrapped in Bacon
Popper and Bacon Grilled Cheese
Warm Popper Dip
Black Bean Jalapeno Pinwheels
Popper Inspired Chicken Chili:
1 Small White Onion (diced)
2 Medium Jalapeno Peppers (seeds removed and diced)
1 Tbl Minced Garlic
1 Pound Chicken Breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 Tbl Basil
1 Cup Dried Cannellini Beans
1/2 Cup Dried Great Northern Beans
14 Ounce Petite Diced Tomatoes with Juices
6 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Cup Frozen Corn
8 Ounce Cream Cheese
Place all ingredients in crock-pot, turn on low, and cook for 8 - 9 hours.
If you want a thinner chili, add an extra cup of chicken stock.
Popper Stuffed Chicken:
4 Medium Chicken Breasts (pounded to about 1/4 inch thickness each)
16 Ounce Cream Cheese (room temp)
1/4 Cup Diced Jalapenos
1/2 Cup Shredded Pepper Jack
1/4 Cup Shredded Italian Cheese
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
3/4 Cup Italian Panko Bread Crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a glass baking dish.
Combine bread crumbs and grated cheese and spread out on a plate. Set aside.
Combine cream cheese, jalapenos, and shredded cheeses in a small bowl with a mixer to combine.
Spread 1/4 of mixture onto a chicken breast, fold in half and close with a toothpick. Cover in bread crumb mixture by patting it down on each side of the chicken breast so that it sticks. Fold in half and close with a toothpick.
FYI - colored toothpicks will leave color behind... hence the small blue spot in the photo... so I recommend using plain toothpicks so you don't end up with funky colors.
Place coated chicken breast in the greased baking dish and repeat with remaining 3 breasts.
Lightly spray the tops of each with cooking spray. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
Stuffed Peppers Wrapped in Bacon:
20 Large Jalapeno Peppers
1 Pound Bacon (20 slices)
1 Pound Sausage
8 Ounce Cream Cheese (room temp)
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Rinse your peppers. Slice off the top (removing the stem) and slice down one side so that you can de-seed the inside of the pepper. DO NOT cut in half.
Cook sausage in skillet until done. Drain grease and remove from heat. Add in cream cheese and stir together until combined. Mix in cheddar.
Stuff each pepper with your cream cheese mixture. Cut your bacon in half and wrap each pepper with two halves, one wrapping around the top and the other around the side. Use a toothpick to keep the bacon in place and hold the pepper closed.
Place peppers on a large cookie sheet and bake until bacon is crispy and peppers are soft. We turned them about 20 minutes in to be sure to get the bottom crispy too.
Sorry - we didn't time this, I'd guess it was about 30 - 40 minutes, but we were talking a lot so honestly I don't know.
Popper and Bacon Grilled Cheese:
1 Ounce Cream Cheese
3 Slices Jalapenos (diced)
1 Slice Pepper Jack Cheese
2 Slices Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
Butter
Grease a frying pan and heat up on medium high.
Butter one side of each slice of bread and set aside.
In small bowl - combine your cream cheese and jalapenos. If your cream cheese is not soft enough, you can warm it in the microwave for about 20 - 30 seconds.
On other side of one side of bread, spread half your cream cheese mixture. Then place, butter side down, in your pan. Sprinkle half your bacon on top and then top with slice of pepper jack. Sprinkle additional half of bacon on top of pepper jack, and spread the rest of the cream cheese mixture over the other side of the remaining slice. Lay, butter side up, on top.
Cook until bottom slice is golden brown and then flip over to brown the top.
Warm Popper Dip:
8 Ounce Cream Cheese (room temp)
4 Ounce Chopped Green Chiles
5.3 Ounce Yoplait Plain Greek Yogurt
Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
Mix all ingredients together and place in oven safe dish. I lightly sprinkled the top with some breadcrumbs and pepper jack cheese... but this is totally optional. I also think it would've been better to mix some melted butter in with the breadcrumbs. We ended up stirring it all together but I didn't get another photo... we were too busy eating :)
Bake in oven for at least 30 minutes to get it good and melty.
If you like a thinner dip, you can mix in another greek yogurt.
Black Bean Jalapeno Pinwheels:
5 10-Inch Spinach Tortillas
8 Ounce Cream Cheese (room temp)
4 Ounce Chopped Green Chiles
1 Can Black Beans (15 ounces)
Mix together your cream cheese and chiles.
Lay out your tortillas and spread cream cheese mixture over each - make it your desired thickness. I like it so that I cannot see the tortilla under the cream cheese but not too thick.
Evenly divide your beans per tortilla and sprinkle over top of cream cheese. Lightly press into the cream cheese to hold them in place.
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