see what i've cooked up for the pinterest challenge!

with my pinterest project 'reveal' tomorrow, i decided to up the ante for myself.  (i know, after a week of being so busy i couldn't see straight i now decide to challenge myself more.)  so guess what?

you will get not one pinspired project, but three!!! =)

my 'project' post will be tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!  but since i've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen with new recipes, many of them found on pinterest, i decided to share a couple extra pinterest challenge posts with you this week...starting now!

so what's cookin' today?  one of my new favorites!

jalapeno popper chicken  (highly adapted from ellysaysopa.com)

i was inspired by two things....a hankering for jalapeno poppers and this image on pinterest:

{image via}

doesn't that look a.m.a.z.i.n.g?!?!  needless to say, i pretty much couldn't wait another minute to make this dish once i saw this picture.  although, i needed to adapt it to omit the bread crumbs, but that was easy.  

check out my version of jalapeno popper chicken!

here's what you'll need:

chicken breasts (1 per serving, i made 4)
4 oz. cream cheese
2 jalapenos, diced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt
pepper
spices, as desired

here's what you'll do:

preheat your oven to 375 and prepare a baking dish with cooking spray.

in a small bowl, mix cream cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced jalapenos.  (i used 2 rather large jalapenos for my 4 servings and it was good, but i could've used it a little spicier. next time i'll leave some of the rib of the jalapeno and maybe use 1-2 extra.)  set aside.

to prep your chicken, you want to create a pocked inside the breast to hold the jalapeno filling.  i ended up just fully butterflying my chicken.  you just carefully slice into the chicken breast while slowly opening it up and carefully cutting more.

once your chicken is ready, season it up.  i used salt, pepper, and a fiesta spice mix (from tastefully simple) that i thought would go well with the spicy nature of the dish.

now that your chicken is ready, you just need to stuff them with your jalapeno mixture.  i just evenly scooped the mixture onto each breast to make sure they all had the same amount.  then i spread it out on one side of the chicken breast, like this:

and then i used a toothpick to close each piece of chicken, placed them on the greased baking dish, and popped them in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

when i opened the oven i was overwhelmed with the delicious aroma of jalapeno poppers.  and the cheese had melted and was starting to ooze out the chicken.  

total yumminess.

looks pretty good, am i right?  if you like jalapeno poppers, this is right up your alley!

the original recipe i followed called for breading on the chicken, but since i'm avoiding carbs, i clearly omitted that...and you know what?  i didn't miss it.  at all.  

the chicken is so juicy and flavorful.  the jalapenos added just a little kick...and who doesn't like cheesiness in their meals?  not this girl!

so, i highly recommend this recipe.  i made this for dinner one night and had three leftover stuffed chicken breasts for lunch the rest of the week.  it worked out perfectly.  and i got to savor the flavor all week long.

this really is a fantastic chicken dish.  my mouth is watering and telling me i need to make it again.  soon.  like tonight.

in pinspired culinary challenges...

=) andrea


Linking up to the Pinterest Challenge with Megan (The Remodeled Life), Katie (Bower Power), Sherry (Young House Love) and Michelle (Decor and the Dog).