This easy weeknight dinner is a one casserole dish meal, your chicken and rice bake together in the oven leaving you to unwind after a hard day. You can also quickly throw together a side salad making your time in the kitchen a cinch!
I’ve been making jalapeno popper chicken for years, probably for eight or nine if I had to guess. I still have fond memories from my very first time. I was still new to the kitchen and cooking for my boyfriend-turned husband, I followed a recipe step-by-step. This casserole dish is inspired by Skinnytaste’s Cheesy JalapeƱo Popper Baked Stuffed Chicken which is delicious and was an instant hit for us.
If you’re new to my September easy weeknight dinner series, Iāve promise that dinner will be 7 or less ingredients. They will also be easy to whip together, so your active kitchen time is quick and painless. Lastly, I promise that you can scale these recipes up or down very easily and I will always provide instructions so you can be successful no matter if youāre cooking for a party of 1 or 6 (+).
JalapeƱo Popper Chicken Casserole – How to scale it up (or down).
This dish is super easy to scale up or down, my recipe below is for 2 servings. I highly recommend making leftovers, it makes a great reheated lunch or dinner for later in the week.
This recipe calls for a box of rice, so you can easily make 2-4 chicken breasts per box of rice. If you want to make 6-8 servings, I recommend using two casserole dishes (one for each box of rice).
If you want to make more than 2 servings, this is what youāll need for each additional serving.
Per JalapeƱo Popper Chicken Breast:
1 chicken breast
1/2 tsp of cream cheese
1/4 cup of shredded cheese
1 jalapeƱo – small diced
Per Rice Box (1 box per for every 4 servings):
1 box of Cilantro Lime Rice (6.9 oz, approx. 1 cup)
2 cups Water
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 1 tsp Cream Cheese divided
- Ā½ cup Shredded Cheese – Pepper Jack, Cheddar or both (or you can use slices as well to make it easier), divided
- 2 JalapeƱos Small Diced, divided
- 1 box Cilantro Lime Rice 6.9 oz (1 cup)
- 2 cups Water
- 1 Lime Wedge
- Garnish: Cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325F and spray your casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Carefully slice your chicken breasts in the middle, do not cut all the way through, you will want it to open like a book.
- Stuff the inside each chicken breast with 1/2 tsp of cream cheese, cheese, and diced jalapeƱos (you will want to reserve some of the shredded cheese and jalapeƱos for the top of the chicken)
- In your casserole dish, add your rice and water. Stir until combined. Place your chicken breasts on top of the rice and sprinkle some cheese and diced jalapeƱos on top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 25 minutes. Fluff rice. If your rice is still a little undercooked, bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and squeeze lime juice over the chicken.
Two nights ago I made this recipe, without the rice. It was very good. Just the right amount of heat and gooeyness, and the recipe was easy to follow. My only suggestion, as a novice cook, would be a little more description of how to prep things like the jalapenos. I know how to dice, but wasn’t sure to keep the seeds or clean it all out. Luckily, I think, I discarded the seeds. Also, a warning to consider wearing gloves while handling peppers. Even after copious hand washing, I could feel a slight burn after scratching my cheek.
Great job Nicole. I look forward to trying more.
Hi, looks great. If I wanted to make the dish without out the rice, do I just exclude the rice and water, or are there other modifications I need to make. I guess ultimately, I could make it as is and not eat the rice, but that is easier said than done.
Yes! To make it without the rice, you will just need to omit the rice and water. You may want to reduce the baking time as well, there is no need to cover it with foil and maybe check on it after 30 minutes @350F to see if the chicken if cooked through. I hope you love it as much as we do!