Air fryer jalapeño popper chicken
Smoky chicken topped with melty cream cheese, cheddar and fresh jalapeño, everything you love about poppers on a juicy dinner.
- 30 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.11 a serving
- 400 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ lb chicken breasts, cut into 4 even cutlets
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup shredded cheddar
- 2 jalapeños, 1 seeded and diced, 1 sliced
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder, divided
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 400 calories, 44 g protein, 3 g carbs and 22 g fat, and costs about $2.11 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the air fryer to 380°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Pound the cutlets to an even ¾ inch thick, rub them with the oil, smoked paprika, half the garlic powder, the salt and pepper, and wash your hands.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
the cream cheese, cheddar, jalapeño and the rest of the garlic powder together until smooth.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Dolly’s tip: Scraping out the seeds and white ribs takes most of the heat away. Leave some in if you like it spicy.Air fry the chicken in one layer 10 minutes, flipping halfway.
Timer: 10 min
Spread the cheese mixture over the top of each piece and lay the jalapeño slices on it.
Air fry 4 to 6 minutes more, until the topping is and and the thickest piece reads 165°F.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 5 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Let it 3 minutes before serving so the topping sets.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Timer: 3 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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