Jalapeno Popper Chicken Roll-Up's - Gluten Free Fried Chicken

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Roll-Up's are my kind of comfort food.

Tender, moist chicken breasts with a perfectly seasoned golden, crispy shell. Stuffed with halved jalapenos and a mozzarella-cream cheese mixture. Yum.

I use gluten-free breadcrumbs in this recipe, but you can simply swap them out for regular breadcrumbs if not dining GF.

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How to Make Jalapeno Popper Chicken Roll-up's:

Whenever you're frying something, there is almost always some prep work you need to do. While this recipe has a good bit of steps, it comes together much faster once everything is prepped. Note: This is a treat-yourself dinner, not a quick weeknight one. Turn up some music, get a drink, and enjoy the experience.

Prep:

There are four main things you need to prep in this recipe; the jalapenos, the cream cheese mixture, the seasoned breadcrumbs, and the chicken.

• Set the cream cheese out to allow it to come to room temperature as you work.

• To prep the jalapenos: Rinse jalapenos, slice them in half, and scoop out all of the seeds with a spoon. Tip: I wear a sandwich bag over my hand as a makeshift glove. Do not touch your eyes or face after handling jalapenos with bare hands. Set halved and de-seeded jalapenos aside on a plate.

Optional step: You can sauté the jalapeno halves with 1 tbsp. oil over medium heat until lightly browned. This yields a softer result and is easier to roll up in the chicken.

• To prepare the Cream Cheese Filling: Combine mozzarella, softened cream cheese, and mayo until evenly distributed. Set aside.

• To make the Seasoned Breadcrumb mixture: Add the breadcrumbs and spice mixture to a container that has a lid. Shake until well distributed.

• To prep the chicken: Trim chicken breasts of excess fat. Slice in half lengthwise. Then, use a meat tenderizer to pound to about ½-inch in thickness. It's super important that we're working with thin chicken so that the chicken rolls-up nicely and cooks all the way through. Lay all of the chicken out flat, ready to go.

• Lastly, set out a shallow bowl full of whisked eggs.

Now you should have tenderized chicken cutlets surrounded by a plate of halved jalapenos, the cream cheese mixture, the seasoned breadcrumbs, and whisked eggs. This is now a battering station.

To Assemble the Jalapeno Popper Chicken Roll-Up's:

• Spoon the cream cheese mixture onto the chicken cutlets. It's okay if it isn't smooth; the cheese melts and spreads.
• Place jalapeno halves on top of the cheese mixture and press down gently. Be sure to leave spaces in between so that the jalapenos have room to move as you roll the chicken up later. If you don't leave spaces, they will just fall out or the chicken won't roll up properly.

• Roll up the chicken, starting from one end and rolling tightly to the other like you would a sleeping bag. Secure the ends with toothpicks - it's okay if they stick out. I used about 4 toothpicks per roll to be on the safe side.
• Once all of the chicken is rolled, dip in egg mixture and then transfer to breadcrumbs. Close lid on the container and shake the chicken around until the breadcrumbs coat all sides.

To Cook the Jalapeno Popper Chicken Roll-Up's:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.

• Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat until hot.
• Place chicken in the oil, and fry until golden on every side. The chicken will not be cooked completely through here.

• Once the chicken is golden, remove it to drain to a plate lined with paper towels. Then, place on a nonstick cookie sheet or baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 165 F. in the deepest part of the chicken. Some of the cheese mixture will leak out.

• Serve with a side salad, fries, baked potato, etc. Be sure to remove the toothpicks.

Recipe Notes:

• Jalapeno Poppers traditionally use cheddar cheese, but I decided to go with mozzarella to make this recipe a little healthier. I find cheddar to be a little greasy and didn't want that along with the fried chicken.
• I find that the jalapenos in the chicken roll-ups still have a slight bite to them even after being fried and baked. If you want them soft, you can sear them in the same pan you fry the chicken in before you add the frying oil. Once seared on both sides, set aside back on the same plate. Cooking the jalapenos beforehand also makes the chicken easier to roll up since the jalapenos are soft and not rigid.
• If you want to speed up prep time, you could always prep the jalapenos, make the cheese mixture, and season the breadcrumbs the day or morning before.
• I served this with rice and extra jalapeno peppers on the side. The rice paired well with the melty cheese mixture. You can serve this with a simple side salad, fries, onion rings, baked potato, or whatever you'd like.

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