Mains/ Recipes

J is for: Jalapeño Popper Buffalo Chicken Bundles Wrapped in Bacon

Jalapeno poppers are one of my all-time favorite appetizers. Simple, spicy, perfect. I also happen to love anything with wing sauce. My Buffalo chicken dip is just one example that comes to mind. I decided to combine the two things for a fiery dish that can be made either as an entree or an appetizer. If jalapeno poppers and boneless buffalo wings had a love child, this is what it would look like.

There are different versions of this that have been making the rounds on Pinterest, like bacon-wrapped jalapeno chicken bites or jalapenos stuffed with Buffalo chicken. But to my knowledge, this is the first to combine them in this fashion.

It has all the basics: roasted jalapenos, cream cheese, chicken, wing sauce, *bacon*, and a blue cheese dressing, perfect for dipping. As my friend Tricia would say: “BEST. BITE.”

Start by pounding the chicken very thin. (A large plastic bag works well for this). If making appetizers, cut each piece in small strips. If using as an entree, you can leave them whole. Season with salt and pepper and lay a roasted jalapeno pepper (more if leaving whole) and some cream cheese over the top. (I used some roasted peppers my friend Devon brought back from Texas, but you can easily roast your own using this method shown here).

Roll each one into a little bundle and coat in Buffalo wing sauce. (Note: I buy the Franks *Wing* Sauce as opposed to the hot sauce. If using hot sauce, you’ll want to mix with some melted butter). You can marinate the bundles in the sauce, but it’s not completely necessary. Wrap in bacon and secure with a toothpick. I sort of took a criss-cross approach, but don’t worry too much. Essentially, people will just see that there is bacon on it and not really care about much else.

Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour a little of the wing sauce in the bottom. Place bundles in the dish without crowding. Bake at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is starting to get crispy. (You can turn over halfway through if you want). I wouldn’t recommend cute cocktail toothpicks for cooking, but that’s all I had.

Serve with a side of blue cheese dressing (or ranch if you’re not fond of blue cheese). Swirl with a little wing sauce to give it some color. I realize these aren’t the healthiest things in the world, but boy are they tasty. Smoky, spicy, cheesey and tangy all in one bite! (P.S. These would be *perfect* for Father’s Day!)

Jalapeño Popper Buffalo Chicken Bundles Wrapped in Bacon

by Jaymee Sire
Keywords: bake appetizer entree bacon chicken buffalo wing sauce blue cheese Super Bowl American

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Ingredients
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 8 small jalapeno peppers, roasted with stem and seeds removed
  • 2-3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • Buffalo Wing Sauce (I like Frank’s)
  • 8 slices bacon
  • Blue cheese dressing, for dipping
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Pound the chicken very thin. If making appetizers, cut each breast into four pieces. If using as an entree, you can leave them whole. Season with salt and pepper and lay a roasted jalapeno pepper (more if leaving whole) and some cream cheese over the top.
  2. Roll each one into a little bundle and coat in Buffalo wing sauce. (Note: I buy the Franks *Wing* Sauce as opposed to the hot sauce. If using hot sauce, you’ll want to mix with some melted butter). You can marinate the bundles in the sauce, but it’s not completely necessary. Wrap in bacon and secure with a toothpick.
  3. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour a little of the wing sauce in the bottom. Place bundles in the dish without crowding. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is starting to get crispy, turning once if necessary.
  4. Serve with a side of Blue cheese dressing (or ranch if you’re not fond of blue cheese). Enjoy!
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  • Mike Lane
    June 9, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    Made your jalapeno poppers and buffalo chicken last night. I am a huge fan of spicy food so once seeing the recipe I had to try them. I used Franks Buffalo hot sauce and Cajun bacon (it was all I had at time sorry to change your recipe) Wow they were great. Thank you for posting this recipe. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
    Michael.Lane27@gmail.com

    • jaymeesire
      June 9, 2012 at 8:27 pm

      Don't be sorry! That sounds amazing! Glad you enjoyed it. Lots of bacon on this blog. 🙂

  • Anonymous
    June 10, 2012 at 10:50 pm

    Oh my! Can't wait to make these!!!

    • jaymeesire
      June 19, 2012 at 9:02 pm

      Let me know how they turn out!

  • Peggy G.
    June 16, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    You just combined two of my all-time favorite things! I don't think I'd want to share these babies =)

    • jaymeesire
      June 19, 2012 at 9:03 pm

      Me too! 🙂

  • Brady Andrew Weedin
    July 3, 2012 at 4:24 am

    yum, Yum YUM!!! Can't wait to give these babies a whirl! 🙂 Love the picture of you as a little girl & your memories from MT–have a great 4th Monts!! 🙂

  • Spicy Food
    July 21, 2012 at 4:21 pm

    Nice to see, that was a interesting article.

  • Diane
    December 3, 2012 at 2:25 pm

    We made these for tailgating at a buffalo Bills game yesterday and they were a huge hit! Our friends are demanding them for next week too!

    • jaymeesire
      December 3, 2012 at 6:01 pm

      Awesome to hear!! 🙂

  • Anonymous
    May 9, 2013 at 4:07 pm

    I had these appetizers at the Baylor Law School graduation reception and have been searching for the recipe. Delicious! Many thanks —

  • Anonymous
    April 30, 2014 at 2:42 pm

    These look amazing! I think I will try shrimp instead of chicken…I will let you know how they turn out.