Peter Piper Picked a Pepper...

Today, the pepper that was picked is...jalapeno!

My husband loves jalapenos. He especially loves jalapeno poppers. So, I keep my eyes open for some tasty jalapeno infused recipes.

Here are a couple I tried recently!

Jalapeno Popper Chicken (Original Recipe for 1 serving)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Fiber One Original Bran Cereal
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
Dash cayenne pepper
One 5-oz raw boneless, skinless lean chicken breast cutlet, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
Dash each salt and pepper
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Cheese
1 1/2 tbsp. chopped jarred jalapeno slices (about 6 slices)
1 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Place cereal in a sealable plastic bag and, removing as much air as possible, seal. Using a meat mallet (or other heavy utensil), carefully crush cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency through the bag. Add garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper, and shake to mix. Set aside.

Place chicken cutlet flat on a clean and dry surface; season with salt and black pepper. Spread the upward facing side with cheese and evenly top with chopped jalapeno. Carefully roll up the cutlet over the filling. If needed, secure with toothpicks. Lightly cover all exposed areas of the chicken with egg substitute. Using your fingers or a spoon, evenly coat with breadcrumb mixture.

Place chicken roll in the baking pan. Cover the pan with foil, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Carefully remove foil and return pan to the oven, uncovered, to bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Let cool slightly. Remove toothpicks (if using), and dig in!

Makes 1 serving.

Source: I found this recipe in a Hungry Girl newsletter. You can go here to sign up for this daily newsletter.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken (My revised recipe for 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Fiber One Original Bran Cereal
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Four raw boneless, skinless lean chicken breast cutlets, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped jarred jalapeno slices
1 egg, or 1/4 cup egg substitute, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Place cereal in a sealable plastic bag and, removing as much air as possible, seal. Using a meat mallet (or other heavy utensil), carefully crush cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency through the bag. Add garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper, and shake to mix. Set aside. You can also use a blender or food processor to crush the cereal.

Place chicken cutlets flat on a clean and dry surface; season with salt and black pepper. Mix cream cheese and chopped jalapeno peppers together in a small bowl. Dividing the cream cheese/jalapeno mixture into four portions, spread the upward facing side of each piece of chicken with cream cheese/jalapeno mixture. Carefully roll up the cutlet over the filling. If needed, secure with toothpicks (highly recommended). Lightly cover all exposed areas of the chicken with egg substitute, optional. Using your fingers or a spoon, evenly coat with breadcrumb mixture.

Place chicken rolls in the baking pan. Cover the pan with foil, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Carefully remove foil and return pan to the oven, uncovered, to bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Let cool slightly. Remove toothpicks (if using), and dig in!

Notes: When I made this, I had cream cheese on hand, but not the Laughing Cow Swiss cheese. I know it doesn't keep things as light as the Hungry Girl version, but since jalapeno poppers are traditionally made with cream cheese, I used it here for this recipe.

I would highly suggest crushing the cereal with a food processor or blender because it is not easy to crush it easily with a rolling pin or meat mallet! I also increased the amount of Fiber One crumbs because I hate it when you are using the dregs to coat that last piece of chicken! I would rather have too much of the bread crumb mixture and throw a little out than have not enough.

This was really good!

Jalapeno Chicken

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon 40%-less sodium taco seasoning
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (Pepper Jack Cheese)
2 tablespoons sliced jalapeno peppers

Directions:

Sprinkle taco seasoning over both sides of chicken.

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Coat chicken with cooking spray.

Add chicken to pan, and cook 7 minutes or each side or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken from heat; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let stand 3 to 4 minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish with jalapeno slices, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half)

Nutrition information: 186 calories, 6 g fat, 29.7 g protein, 1.8 g carb, 0 g fiber, 81 mg cholesterol, 0.8 mg iron, 294 mg sodium, 114 mg calcium.

Source: Cooking Light Superfast Suppers cookbook. ISBN 0-8487-2628-6.

Notes: This was easy and delicious. If you don't have taco seasoning on hand, you could sprinkle the chicken with some ground cumin, a little chili powder, or a Mexican mixture of your own.

Mexican Monkey Bread

Ingredients:

1 can (16.3 oz) refrigerated biscuits, quartered
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup drained canned sliced jalapeno peppers
3/4 tsp. parsley flakes
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Dip 1/3 of the biscuit pieces in butter; place in prepared pan. Top with 1/2 cup Cheddar, 1/4 cup peppers, and 1/4 tsp parsley; repeat layers.

Cover with remaining dipped biscuit pieces, peppers, and parsley; top with combined mozzarella and remaining Cheddar.

Bake 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Invert bread onto plate; remove pan. Serve bread warm.

Recipe notes: Substitute any flavor shredded cheese for the Cheddar and mozzarella.

8 servings.

Nutrition information: 1 serving equals 300 calories, 18 g fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 950 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 9 g protein

Source: Kraft recipe found here.