JalapeƱo Popper Chicken
This JalapeƱo Popper Chicken has seasoned chicken smothered in a creamy JalapeƱo Popper sauce with bacon and green onions. Itās an easy skillet recipe and a fun dinner idea!
JalapeƱo Popper Chicken
If you love the creamy pop of flavor when you bite into a juicy Jalapeño Popper, you are absolutely going to love this amazing Jalapeño Popper Chicken! What a way to make chicken exciting- this sauce perfectly replicates Jalapeno Popper flavor. (I even impressed myself with this one!)
The bacon and green onions on top add color, crunch, and even more flavor. Feel free to serve this with tortilla chips, (there is plenty of sauce for dipping!), along with rice, beans, corn salad, guacamole, salsa, and so much more! And donāt miss my pro tips below!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Tenderize, season, and sear the chicken and set aside. Soften diced jalapenos with butter and garlic.

Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add sauce mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Add cubed cream cheese and sour cream.
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Add shredded cheddar cheese and add the chicken back. Heat through, then garnish with bacon and green onions.Ā Serve!

Pro Tips
- Shred the cheese from a blockĀ to ensure is tastes and melts the best. I useĀ Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow Cheese.Ā Cheddar Jack, Pepper Jack, and Monterey JackĀ are other great varieties to use.
- Spice Level:Ā This sauce has a kick to it but I wouldnāt call it overly spicy. To decrease the spice, be sure to remove the entire white membrane from the jalapeno (thatās where the heat is), as well as the seeds
- Serving Suggestions:Ā Jalapeno Popper Chicken pairs well with with Corn Salad,Ā Rice, Black Beans, Coleslaw, Tortilla Chips, Guacamole, Salsa, Roasted Potatoes, Potato Wedges, Roasted Vegetables, Garlic Bread.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container andĀ refrigerate for up to 3 daysĀ orĀ freeze for up to 3 months.Ā Leftovers do freeze/reheat well, just be sure to reheat gradually to keep the sauce from breaking.
Ā

Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 3-Quart Stainless Steel SautĆ© Panā The same size as pictured in this recipe.
- 1 quart measuring cup with a spoutāĀ This is what I use to combine the sauce ingredients at the beginning. The spout makes it easy to add it to the roux in small splashes.Ā
- Meat TenderizerāĀ I use this almost every time I cook.
- Kitchen Tongsā This is how I turn the chicken while it sears.
- SpiceĀ RackāThis is the one I have, itās aĀ snapĀ to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
- BoxĀ CheeseĀ Graterā Always shred cheese from a block, it melts and tastes much better. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from melting as well.
- MeasuringĀ SpoonsāĀ I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
- Better Than Bouillonā This is what I always use for broth/bouillon in my recipes. It takes very little space and makes it easy to measure out customized amounts.
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- Swedish Meatballs
- Cajun Chicken
- Meatball Pasta
- Chicken Corn Chowder
- Chicken Enchiladas
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! āāāāā

JalapeƱo Popper Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ chicken bouillon cube
- ¾ teaspoon EACH: oregano, mustard powder, parsley, onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Chicken/Other
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt/pepper, to taste
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter, or bacon drippings
- 3-4 Jalapenos, seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened & cut into cubes
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings:
- 5 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped
- 3 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Pro Tip: Cook the bacon low and slow in a separate skillet until crispy on each side while you measure out the ingredients/prepare the dish. Consider reserving 2 tbsp. drippings to use instead of butter in the recipe. Roughly chopped once cooled.
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
- Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2-3 thinner slices. Cover with saran wrap and use the textured side of a meat mallet to pound it to ½ inch thick.
- Season each side of the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside.
- Turn the heat off and let the pan cool. Add the butter and set the heat to medium. Add the diced jalapenos and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the raw flour smell is gone.
- Add the sauce mixture from step 2 in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let the sauce cool for 1 minute.
- Stir in the cream cheese and the sour cream. Once melted and combined, sprinkle in the cheddar cheese, stirring continuously.
- Add the chicken back and spoon the sauce on top. Allow it to heat through for 2-3 minutes.
- Top with chopped bacon and green onions. Serving options include rice, black beans, coleslaw, roasted potatoes, garlic bread, tortilla chips, corn salad, and roasted vegetables.
Notes
- Shred the cheese from a blockĀ to ensure is tastes and melts the best. I useĀ Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow Cheese.Ā Cheddar Jack, Pepper Jack, and Monterey JackĀ are other great varieties to use.
- Spice Level:Ā This sauce has a kick to it but I wouldn't call it overly spicy. To decrease the spice, be sure to remove the entire white membrane from the jalapeno (that's where the heat is), as well as the seeds
- Serving Suggestions:Ā Jalapeno Popper Chicken pairs well with with Corn Salad,Ā Rice, Black Beans, Coleslaw, Tortilla Chips, Guacamole, Salsa, Roasted Potatoes, Potato Wedges, Roasted Vegetables, Garlic Bread.
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container andĀ refrigerate for up to 3 daysĀ orĀ freeze for up to 3 months.Ā Leftovers do freeze/reheat well, just be sure to reheat gradually to keep the sauce from breaking.
Nutritional information is an estimateĀ and isĀ per serving.Ā This recipe makesĀ 4 servings.
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Iād like to make this, but my husband wonāt eat chicken. Could this be made with 1/2ā³ pork chops? Thanks.
Hi Brenda! Iāve never made this with Pork Chops before but I believe it would be DELICIOUS! Thick cuts are great- bone-in is even better! : )
Stephanie,
I have to say, I have not been steered wrong with any of your recipes!Ā
Thank you again!
AWWWWWW, THANK YOU so much Dyanne!! You absolutely made my day, thank you so so much!!
Hi,
How many pounds of chicken do you recommend? I may want to use thighs or tenders. We love every recipe weāve tried.
Thanks,
Elaine
HI Elaine! You can use as much chicken as youāll need for four people. There is a ton of sauce! Anywhere from 2-3 lbs. works! I usually use a good 2 pounds or so.
This recipe was amazing! I did sprinkle ranch seasoning on the chicken before I cooked itā¦one of the best recipes I have made to date! Paired it with white riceā¦.thank you!
EXCELLENT!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, you made my whole day Jamie! SO glad that you loved it!
This is right up my alley! Ā The sauce is crazy good. Ā To establish a āheat baselineā on my first attempt, I discarded the jalapeƱo membranes and seeds. Next time I will include them to make it even spicier to suit my personal taste. This sauce would be delicious served on its own as a warm dip with tortilla chips, or one could add some browned and seasoned ground beef, ground turkey, chorizo, or black beans to make it heartier. I like the sauce so much that I am tempted to eat it with a spoon! Ā
Iām sooo happy that you loved it Dennis! Loved that you established a heat baseline so that you can make adjustments to your preference next time, smart! I too can eat this with a spoon!! š Thank you so much for the review!! ā¤ļø
Not as spicy as I had hoped- do you think more hot sauce would do the trick? Ā Sauce was good thoughĀ
Keeping some of the membranes on the Jalapenos will add more kick! Hot sauce, a little cayenne, and some red pepper flakes will do it too! š