Chicken Jalapeno Popper Casserole
Ingredients
Three 6-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, halved and seeded
6 slices thick-cut bacon
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 cup fried jalapenos, such as French’s Crispy Jalapenos
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Directions
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.
