Jalapeno Popper Chicken (Keto, Low Carb)

Tonight’s dinner brought to you by the need for cream cheese and a little heat. I am excited to say that I have reached the point in Keto where I am losing almost all cravings for sweet things (if you knew my affinity for baking, you would know this is a miraculous occurrence), but my fat cravings are through the roof. I crave things such as cream cheese, pork rinds, guacamole, and smoked almonds. I try to keep dairy to a minimum, but for a weekend treat, I decided to try out this amazing Jalapeno Popper Chicken Breast (this is a variation from Pinterest, but is using my own rendition).

First off, I marinated my chicken breasts the night before in just a tablespoon of sea salt and water in a plastic bag; just enough water to cover the chicken breasts and in the fridge they go! This step is not required, but totally worth a good 1-6 hour soak. The salt flavors the chicken and tenderizes it so well, it’s hard to skip this step when such a simple thing makes such a difference!

Let’s get y’all that recipe shall we?

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Breast

4 medium chicken breasts (pounded out to about 1/2″ thick)

4 oz cream cheese

mild cheddar cheese

1 jalapeno or more (depending on taste), diced avoiding the seeds

8 thin slices of bacon

sea salt

parsley for garnish (optional)

Fill a large zip top bag with a tablespoon of salt and 2 cups of water. Mix, then add the raw chicken breasts and allow to brine for 1-6 hours. Preheat oven to 300º. Remove from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until about .5″ thick. Next divide your cream cheese into 8 thin slices and place down the center of the chicken along with a generous sprinkling of sea salt. Next, sprinkle even amounts of cheese and jalapenos. Folding over the edges, hold like a taco and wrap 2 slices of bacon around to hold in the ingredients. Try to wrap it so that the edges of the bacon sit beneath the chicken (this will help the bacon to stay on when roasting). Place on a pan with edges and bake for 40 minutes. Leaving the pan in the oven, increase the temp to 400º and bake for 15-20 more minutes or until the bacon is getting crispy. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve.