Air Fryer Jalapeno Popper Hasselback Chicken is a super spicy low carb meal with tons of cheese and bacon. Only 5 ingredients are needed to make this gluten-free, keto friendly meal.
This low carb chicken is so easy to make. Just cut slits across the chicken breasts. You’ll stuff a mixture of cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, and pickled jalapenos into the slits.
Next you’ll air fry the chicken for about 15 minutes. Cooking times can vary between air fryers so use the cooking time as an estimate. I have both the Power XL Air Fryer and the Ninja Air Fryer and use them regularly. Air frying is a great way to make delicious foods that are healthy and don’t have excess oils.
If you’re tired of plain, boring chicken breasts, this Air Fryer Jalapeno Popper Hasselback Chicken is for you. These is so much flavor in every bite!
What to serve Air Fryer Jalapeno Popper Hasselback Chicken with:
This is a rich chicken dish with lots of cheese so a light side goes best with it. I like either a green salad or some steamed broccoli.
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Watch the short video below to see how easy this recipe is to make.
Air Fryer Jalapeno Popper Hasselback Chicken
Air Fryer Jalapeno Popper Hasselback Chicken is a super spicy low carb meal with tons of cheese and bacon. Only 5 ingredients are needed to make this gluten-free, keto friendly meal.
Ingredients
- 4 slices sugar-free bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, stir together bacon, cream cheese, jalapenos, and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
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Cut about 6 slits across the top of the chicken, being careful not to cut all the way through.
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Stuff the cream cheese mixture into the slits.
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Place chicken in air fryer basket and set to Air Fry at 350 for 15 minutes. With 1 minute of time left, open the Air Fryer and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Air Fry for the last minute.
Recipe Notes
The chicken should be done after 15 minutes, but cooking time can vary between Air Fryer brands. Cook a few minutes longer if necessary.
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You can use finely diced fresh jalapeno instead of pickled jalapeno.
Recipe adapted from I Love My Air Fryer Keto Cookbook
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
So you don’t season the chicken at all? No salt or pepper?
You could add some pepper and just a tiny bit of salt if you wish. Cream cheese, bacon, and cheddar cheese all have a lot of salt in them so I don’t think adding more salt is necessary unless you like your food really salty.
Look at the sodium count & I think you’ll realize you don’t need to add salt. I would likely add pepper too. Kinda high in cholesterol tho.
Could you use an instant pot for this? If so, what would you set it on and for how long
If I make more than 2, does it take longer to cook, or does that not matter?
If the chicken is crammed in there and touching on the sides, it might take a few extra minutes to cook than if the chicken has space around it.
Add 2 additional minutes per breast if you’re making four (4).
Excellent!! My husband loved it. Came out juicy and tender, event our daughter wanted seconds.
Super easy and tasty. But chicken was raw after 15 minutes. Definitely needs more cook time than recipe states.
I haven’t had pickled jalapenos, are they quite spicy? If so can you recommend a replacement for therm?
I bet canned green chilis would be good and they are not spicy at all.
The spiciness is in the seeds. I would seed them & maybe dice them myself. My better half doesn’t like pickled stuff (except cole slaw) so I would likely use the regular jalepenos (after removing the seeds) & dice them as it suggests as an alternative.
I justed went to the grocer and got 2 jalapenos. My boyfriend likes them, I’m not much of a spicy fan. I think I used 1 and a half (they r smaller) just diced um up. It didnt really add much of heat, but gave the flavor of the jalapeno. And I made 2 chicken breast, added a lil extra on the cheese. And I packed every slice. Loved it. I’ve made it twice now, boyfriend loved it. 🙂 I did add cook time tho. Maybe mine were thicker than the recipe. Paired with some nice creamy potatoes.
Rotelle makes mild green chilis in a small can in the International isle of your grocery store.
We’ve made this recipe twice. Super yummy!
Made last night, followed recipe exactly….. it was amazing!!! Super simple and fast. Will definitely make on a weekly basis. Paired with broiled asparagus drizzled in olive oil and Parmesan cheese.
Best dinner in awhile, thank you!
Can you bake these in the oven?
I received an air fryer for Christmas. I have made this 4 times! This is wonderful.
I made this last night and my husband loved it. I will definitely make this again!
Looking to make these for dinner next week, suggestions for sides?
Prep time stated to be 10 minutes. I was going to try this until I saw the ingredient list included cooked bacon. That would add a significant amount of time to my preparation efforts. I may try it another time. I think you should update the recipe to include preparation of the bacon.
We made this tonight but we exchanged the jalapeños for Spinach. It was fabulous! Definitely worth repeating.
I made it this for our dinner, and we loved it! I used vegan cheeses!
Hello, I want to use thin sliced chicken breast, do you know how much I would adjust the cook time?
Can these baked in the oven 6-8