If you’re fond of Texan cuisines, you’re probably familiar with Chicken Jalapeño Poppers. These appetizers consist of jalapeño peppers stuffed with Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and shredded chicken.
The peppers are then topped with bread crumbs and baked to perfection. All good for keto apart from the breadcrumbs!
The dish is believed to have been inspired by a Mexican dish called Chiles Rellenos, which is also a type of stuffed pepper.
Jalapeño peppers are a fantastic keto-friendly veggie, perfect for any low carb diet. So, if you’re looking for a keto-approved appetizer or snack without the high carb ingredients you should give these Chicken Jalapeño Poppers from Nicole of Family & Glamour a try!
Almond flour gives the dish the effect of the breadcrumbs or batter made of flour, cornstarch or cornmeal often used in the original dish. There is only six grams of net carbs per serving of 6 poppers in this keto recipe.
They are quick and easy to make and so delcious. They are a good way of using up any left over chicken, bacon or cheese you have.
Jalapeño peppers
Although they are often referred to as peppers they are really chilies which are not the same thing.
Peppers belong to the “Piper” genus while chilies are members of the “Capsicum” genus. It’s the capsaicin they contain that gives the chilies their spiciness. The red ones are hotter than the green ones. And, green jalapeños are significantly hotter than green chiles.
Heat is not the only thing that jalapeños are good for. They contain a range of essential nutrients like fiber (most essential if you are keto), Vitamin C, Vitamins B6 and K , beta-carotene and capsaicin which is also an antioxidant and has some anti-inflammatory properties too.
Capsaicin is useful as an anti-inflammatory to treat the pain of underlying chronic inflammation in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. It is also said to have anti-cancer activity.
Some people swear by capsaicin as it is said to be able to increase your metabolism up to 5% – 8% and reduce hunger so can aid weight loss.
Recipe notes
Nicole says this recipe makes 4 servings but it only calls for 10 jalapeños. If you want this dish to stretch to 4 people and want each person to have the same number of poppers then you might want to make 12.
As for the ingredients I have tweaked them to include organic ingredients because they contain more nutrients than conventially grown produce. So do what you can where you can.
If you want a stuffed pepper recipe then try this Low Carb Stuffed Peppers -Slow Cooker Recipe. Or if you’re looking for something spicy then try this Tasty Keto Chili Recipe.
Chicken Jalapeño Poppers
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
Jalapeño Poppers
- 10 fresh Jalapeño
- 1 cup cooked organic chicken, shredded
- ½ cup cooked nitrate-free, free range bacon, crumbled
- 1 cup organic cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded organic cheese (Monterey jack) ¼ cup reserved
- ¼ cup organic almond flour or almond meal
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp green onion, chopped
- 1 tsp Redmond Real Sea Salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro and Green Onion Dipping Sauce
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp green onions, chopped
- 1 tsp chopped cilantro
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Place the cream cheese, ¾ cup of shredded cheese, shredded chicken, crumbled bacon, garlic powder, onion, salt and pepper into a bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined and set aside.
2. Wearing a pair of kitchen gloves slice the jalapeños in half. Remove the seeds then fill the halves with the shredded chicken mixture. Place them on a baking tray.
3. Sprinkle the Chicken Jalapeño Poppers with almond flour to coat the filling. Top with the remaining ¼ cup of shredded cheese.
4. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the almond flour and cheese turn golden brown and bubble.
5. While the Chicken Jalapeño Poppers are being baked, prepare the dipping sauce. Add the sour cream, onion, cilantro, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Then mix well until combined.
Here’s Nicole’s video demo of how these Chicken Jalapeño Poppers are prepared.
