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Air Fryer Chicken Jalapeno Poppers are filled with a cream cheese mixture inside of jalapeño peppers, then wrapped in chicken and crispy bacon! This is a perfect choice for a low carb snack or keto diet favorite. If you’re a fan of spicy food, you’re going to love these jalapeño poppers!
Why I Love This
When it comes to delicious recipes, you can’t go wrong with these jalapeno chicken poppers. They could totally be an easy dinner recipe or a starter for any meal or game day tailgate.
If you love bacon or jalapenos, try this air fryer Texas Twinkie recipe, air fryer jalapeno popper egg rolls, air fryer frozen jalapeno poppers, or these air fryer pickle poppers.
Table of Contents
Use this low carb recipe as a great option for dinner time or a fun way to try a new chicken recipe for the perfect meal. You can even whip this up as a side dish, and it’ll be a huge hit. You seriously can’t go wrong.
Fair warning – you’re going to want to eat the whole thing. All the ingredients paired together create great flavors in the easiest way!
Looking for more? Check out this article where we share our favorite top 50 air fryer chicken recipes.
Ingredients:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – You could also use boneless chicken thighs in a pinch, but juicy chicken breasts work best.
- Jalapenos – You can’t have jalapeno popper chicken without spicy jalapenos!
- Cream cheese – Make sure that it’s softened.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – You could also use other types of shredded cheese.
- Salt – To taste.
- Black pepper – To taste.
- Bacon – Flavored bacon is fun to use too, like Hormel’s Jalapeno Bacon.
How to make Chicken Jalapeno Poppers
Step 1
Rinse, and then slice jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Remove membrane and seeds.
Step 2
In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and seasonings. Fill slices of jalapeno with cheese mixture, and then put slices back together.
Step 3
Carefully slice each piece of chicken in half without cutting all the way through. Place chicken in a Ziploc bag or wrapped in saran wrap, and pound or roll with a rolling pin until thin, then cut in half, making four flattened pieces of chicken.
Step 4
Place stuffed jalapeno at the end of the flattened chicken breast and then roll the chicken. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
Step 5
Wrap each rolled piece of chicken with 2-4 slices of bacon, covering the entire piece. Use toothpicks if necessary to hold bacon in place while air frying.
Step 6
Place poppers in the air fryer basket and air fry at 370 for 10-12 minutes until bacon is crispy. Use a meat thermometer to confirm the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees. Add 2-3 minutes of cooking time if necessary.
TIPS
- I make this recipe in my Cosori 5.8 qt. air fryer or 6.8 quart air fryer. Depending on your air fryer, size and wattages, cooking time may need to be adjusted 1-2 minutes.
- Make sure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F/74C before serving.
Variations
Add seasonings – You can easily add more than just salt and pepper to this recipe. Garlic powder, onion powder, and even chili powder are welcomed addition.
Add toppings – Don’t forget that you can add toppings like sour cream and green onions for more flavor!
Add a dip – While you can eat this easy low carb dinner as is, why not pair it up with your favorite homemade BBQ sauce or dipping sauce?
Use poblano peppers – If you don’t want to use jalapeno peppers, you can use poblano peppers instead. This still gives you a bit of spice, but not a super spicy one at all. You can literally make the recipe just like you would with jalapenos, but use poblano peppers in their place.
How to Serve
Did I mention that this is an easy low carb meal or a great appetizer, too? For the best results, serve them right from the air fryer! They’ll need a few minutes to cool down, but then they’re ready to enjoy.
You can pair them with cauliflower rice for more flavors and textures, or enjoy this keto jalapeño popper chicken on its own.
How to Store
Leftovers of these tender chicken jalapeno poppers mean that you’ll get to enjoy the flavors again the next day. Just let the chicken and bacon cool down all the way, and store any leftovers in an airtight container. They’ll need to be stored in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat and eat, up to 3-4 days.
To reheat, you can put them back into the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-4 minutes, or pop them in the microwave for a few short seconds of time.
FAQs
Putting the chicken breast into a plastic bag and then using a meat mallet to hit the top of the breast over and over again is the best way to flatten out the chicken. It’s imperative to flatten the chicken so that you can wrap it and also make sure that it’s cooked all the way.
If you don’t have a plastic bag, you can also put it between two pieces of plastic wrap and use a mallet or rolling pin as well.
Yes, you can, but you don’t need to for this recipe. You can just put the poppers directly into the air fryer basket and not have to use aluminum foil.
The biggest thing that you need to remember with this recipe is that you want everything to cook evenly and all the way through. If you keep adding bacon to the chicken, it may end up being too thick, so the chicken may not cook as it should.
Many people actually make this into a jalapeño popper chicken casserole recipe that they bake in the oven, while others make a jalapeno popper dip that they use to dip crackers and other items into.
Using pork rinds is a great low carb option that you can add to the outside of these poppers! It will stick to the ingredients and add a crunch to every single bite! If you get different flavors of pork rinds, that’s a fun way to add a different taste and flavors easily.
This is definitely a fun and interesting recipe and one that’s perfect for family get-togethers or game day.
Here are a few more of our favorite chicken recipes.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Dinner
BBQ Chicken in Air Fryer
Air Fryer Recipes
Aldi Red Bag Chicken
Appetizers
Naked Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
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Chicken Jalapeno Poppers
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless skinless
- 4 jalapenos, medium
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 6-8 slices bacon
Instructions
- Rinse, and then slice jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Remove membrane and seeds.
- In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and seasonings. Fill slices of jalapeno with cheese mixture, and then place slices together, making a whole pepper.
- Carefully slice each piece of chicken in half, without cutting all the way through. Place chicken in a ziplock bag or wrapped in saran wrap, and pound or roll with a rolling pin, until thin, then cut in half, making four flattened pieces of chicken.
- Place stuffed jalapeno at the end of the flattened chicken breast and then roll chicken. Repeat with remaining pieces of chicken.
- Wrap each rolled piece of chicken with 2-4 slices of bacon, covering the entire piece. Use toothpicks if necessary to hold bacon in place while air frying.
- Place poppers in the air fryer basket and air fry at 370 for 10-12 minutes, until bacon is crispy.
- Use a meat thermometer to confirm the internal temperature of chicken is 165 degrees. Add 2-3 minutes cooking time if necessary.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
