Jalapeno Popper Chicken For Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory over the French in 1862, putting an end to the Franco-Mexican War. In the United States, folks of all ethnicities will participate in Cinco De Mayo, with parades, music and spicy food to celebrate Mexican culture.

I wanted to make a Mexican-inspired dish in honor of the day that was unique, and was especially on the lookout for a dish that I could call healthy. I was not disappointed when my cousin, who is one of the best cooks I know, posted a recipe on Facebook and suggested I check it out. SO glad I did!

Gina at Skinnytaste.com has posted a delicious recipe that is taking off on Facebook and Pinterest. With over eighty comments in three days, I decided it was definitely worth looking into. The recipe is a deconstructed, jalapeno-popper stuffed, baked chicken, and the accompanying pictures ‘had me at hello.’ Let me say this recipe attracted me for several key reasons, the first being I love when a clever cook is inspired to take a well-known, favorite dish and transform it. Secondly, anything that claims to be delicious and lower fat, I’m all in.

The versatility of this dish is limited only by one’s imagination. I can see myself using boneless chicken tenderloins with a small bit of the cheese mixture to make bite-sized appetizers the next time we entertain, or even deconstructing it further by shredding chicken and spreading the entire mixture into a casserole dish for use as a spicy jalapeno chicken dip.

This recipe was super simple to prepare, and so delicious, my kids had no idea they were eating a low fat alternative. I decided to serve this dish with a side of Spanish rice, and fresh guacamole with sour cream. My family loved every bite, and it was the perfect way to celebrate Cinco De Mayo. Bring on the spice! Enjoy!

Cheesy Jalapeño Popper Baked Stuffed Chicken
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 2 stuffed breasts • Old Points: 9 pt • Points+: 9 pts
Calories: 371 • Fat: 17.5 g • Protein: 42.7 g • Carb: 11 g • Fiber: 1.5 g • Sugar: 0.6 g
Sodium: 355.8 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

Directions:

Wash and dry chicken cutlets, season with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

Combine cream cheese, cheddar, scallions, jalapeño and bacon crumbles in a medium bowl.

Lay chicken cutlets on a working surface and spread 2 tbsp of cream cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one, secure the ends with toothpicks to prevent the cheese from oozing out.

Place breadcrumbs in a bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Dip chicken in lime-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down on a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray the top of the chicken with oil spray.

Bake 22-25 minutes, serve immediately.