Jalapeno Chicken Poppers

I’ve been meaning to share this recipe with y’all for months!

You already know I had a few issues but all is well and I am glad I finally get to let ya’ in on one of my favorite snacks.

My Jalapeno Chicken Poppers are da’ bomb!

What’s not to love about lots of roasted chicken, an enormous amount of cheese, and an abundance of diced jalapenos?

Oh, lets not forget a crispy coating of panko bread crumbs.

When you add all of that up you can’t help but have one delicious, cheesy, and crispy snack.

I am gonna make a believer out of y’all!

First, the chicken. You can use a store-bought roasted chicken, remove the skin, and shred the chicken up finely.

In my case I used roasted chicken Summer made the day prior.

Summer just takes extra virgin olive oil, creole seasonings, black pepper, garlic and onion powder, and smoked paprika.

About 1 tablespoon of each spice to 3lbs of chicken. Coat the chicken in olive oil and mix in the spices.

Bake at 375 for about 1 hour or more until the juices run clear.

Allow the chicken to cool, remove and discard the skin, shred the chicken up.

Summer puts the chicken in the ninja and shreds it up in batches.

Add the chicken to a bowl with the cheeses, jalapenos, and a little more spices.

Mix everything well.

Next, form the mixture into balls. I made golf ball sizes.

I would suggest you make them a little smaller.

For an appetizer size serving I would say make them half the size.

So that’s half of 1/4 cup.

I like the perfect meatball shape for my poppers.

Lastly, it’s breading time.

Place the flour, eggs, and panko in separate bowls.

Step 1: Drop the popper into the flour and coat well.

Pat off excess flour before the next step.

Step 2: Place the floured popper into the egg wash, coating well.

Drip off excess egg wash.

Step 3: Place in the panko and coat well. Tap the poppers to make sure the panko is sticking.

Once all of the poppers have been coated place on a tray and stick them in the freezer for about 15 minutes to harden slightly.

Heat cooking oil up to 365 degrees and fry the poppers in batches.

Don’t over crowd the pan please.

Remove the oil, garnish with parsley, and serve with ranch for dipping.

Enjoy!

Jalapeno Chicken Poppers

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Servings: about 12-15 poppers

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken, roasted, diced fine

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 1/2 cups jack cheese, grated

1 cup jalapenos, diced

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1 cup cream cheese, room temperature

1 teaspoon creole seasonings

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

cooking oil to fry in

dried parsley to garnish

ranch dressing to serve.

For the Crispy Coating:

3 cups panko bread crumbs

3 cups flour, all purpose

4 eggs, beaten

Directions:

Mix spice blend together and set aside.

Add all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, coat with spices and mix well.

Form into medium size balls and place onto a tray.

To coat dip into flour first.

Secondly dip into egg coating all sides.

Lastly dip into panko making sure all sides are coated.

Place onto a tray and repeat.

Place into the freezer for about 15-20 minutes prior to frying.

Heat grease to 365 degrees and fry in batches around 3-5 minutes turning continuously until golden brown.

Garnish with dry parsley if desired.