Skillet seared chicken breasts are covered in a jalapeño cheddar sauce for an easy, flavorful dinner that's great for a weeknight or for company!
Today’s confession: I have a strange obsession with jalapeños. I can’t seem to stop planting them in my garden. Some years, I have had about 30 jalapeños coming in at a time, for weeks on end.
I make jalapeño pepper jelly and stuffed jalapeños. Use them in tacos and salsa and my Mississippi caviar.
I make my 10-minute jalapeño cream cheese dip to eat as an appetizer with some chips. And I love keeping some easy fresh jalapeño relish on hand for tacos, rice bowls, even eggs!
And here, I’ve made a quick and easy main course chicken and jalapeño dish that’s got just a hint of spice and loads of creamy, cheesy sauce to coat every bite.
We are talking flavor central my friends!
(You might also like this creamy chipotle chicken and healthy creamy Italian chicken skillet, both of which use a similar cream cheese based sauce.)
This recipe is easy enough for a weeknight, but delicious and impressive enough to make for company.
I love serving it over steamed brown rice to soak up all those delicious juices.
Cauliflower rice or quinoa would work too. Even mashed potatoes, grits or polenta would be a great pairing here.
Then add your favorite vegetable - broccoli or green beans are a good option - and dinner is served.
A quick note about leftovers, if you have any.
Leftovers can be stored, once cooled, in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in a skillet or microwave, along with the extra sauce.
Tip: It helps to slice the chicken before reheating so it cooks through more quickly and evenly.
So whether you grow your jalapeño peppers, pick them up from a farmers market or snag a few at the grocery store, I hope you give this cheesy chicken jalapeño dinner a try.
It’s creamy, comforting, completely full of flavor and sure to be a hit.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Chicken Breasts with Jalapeño Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 4 (5-6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup onion, finely diced
- 3 medium jalapeños, seeds and membranes removed, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 oz. cream cheese, I use ⅓ less fat
- 1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, season chicken breasts with the salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. Add to pan and sear for 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Remove chicken breasts from the skillet to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. (They will finish cooking later.)
- Reduce heat to medium and add remaining two teaspoons olive oil to pan.
- Add diced onion and jalapeño and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and saute for 30 more seconds.
- Add chicken broth and cream cheese and stir until melted. Stir in shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted and mixture is simmering.
- Return the chicken breasts to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices, and turn to coat in the cheese sauce.
- Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 7-9 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. (It will depend on how thick your chicken breasts are.) I like to spoon some of the sauce over the chicken breasts halfway through the cooking time.
- Serve chicken breasts with extra sauce spooned over the top, and enjoy!
Candy
This was just what I was looking for, an easy to prepare chicken meal with a little kick and cheesy goodness. I was out of chicken stock so chicken bouillon to the rescue. It turned out great and will definitely be put in the dinner rotation. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Candy! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
DeAnn
This looks delicious but I would love to cook it in the slow cooker. Have you ever tried it? I think it would out well and make it an easier fix and forget recipe. Any thoughts?
Kathryn Doherty
Hi! I have not tried making this recipe in the slow cooker. You may want to sear the chicken breasts first, as that really helps lock in some flavor. Also, I'm not sure how the sauce will do. Slow cooking tends to add a good bit of liquid to a dish, so that could make the sauce more runny, which would affect the flavor and consistency. Would love to hear if you try it though!
Jennifer
I saw this recipe and thought I wanted to try it immediately. I didn’t watch the video at first, I just looked at the ingredients list and went to the grocery store. Now I’m getting ready to make it, so I decided to watch the video. I ‘m so bummed!! The ingredients list says shredded cheddar cheese, but in the video it says you used shredded WHITE cheddar cheese. I hope it will turn out the same. I wish I had known. Maybe you can update the ingredients list for future people that may want to make it?
Kathryn
Hi Jennifer! I only use white cheddar cheese - it's the exact same but doesn't have the food coloring added that regular yellow/orange cheddar cheese does. So the recipe and taste will be the same, it's just a personal preference.
Susan
Hi
Sarah
Are you for real?
David
I’ve made this now a couple of times and it’s fantastic. This last time I made it with 0.5 carb tortillas and we made tacos out of it. It was sublime.
Kathryn
I'm so happy you love this recipe - and I love the idea of using it for tacos! 😊
April
My husband new favorite dish I make at least once a week.
Kathryn
Oh yay! I'm so happy to hear you love it April! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Karen
Can’t this be made ahead and reheated? I do a lot of meal prep over the weekend and was wondering how this would do. THanks
Kathryn
Yes it can and it reheats great! I find it helps to slice the chicken before putting it back in the pan (or microwave) to reheat. It warms up quicker and the sauce keeps it from drying out. Hope that helps!
GarfieldH
Made this tonight. Didn’t have enough cream cheese so I added heavy cream. Didn’t bother remove jalapeño seeds, so it was a little too spicy for my family.
My wife “food chicken” and “ I don’t know what is in the sauce but it’s REALLY good”.
Served with basmati rice and steamed vegetables.
GarfieldH
*said “good chicken”
Kathryn
I'm so glad you liked it - sounds like a delicious dinner! Hopefully it'll be a little less spicy for you next time if you take out some of the seeds and membranes of the jalapeño. 😊
Brookelynn Dickey
How does the dish taste without the jalapeños?
Kathryn
I'm not sure, I've never made it without the jalapeños. I'm sure it would still be delicious. Would love to hear if you try it!
Colleen
Questions like this are the reason I could never be a food blogger.
Mary R
I love all the listed ingredients for this recipe except cream cheese! (I loath it and mayo with a passion). What would be a good sub? Thank you and just discovered your site, looks great!
Kathryn
Hi Mary! You could try substituting heavy cream instead of the cream cheese here, to add a similar element of creaminess. Something like goat cheese might also work. Let me know what you try!
Mary R
Thank you for your reply and suggestions! I love goat cheese, great idea, maybe add a touch of heavy cream or sour cream. On my menu for next week!
Lynn
Great recipe! I used shredded mild cheddar (not white) and also added a little Colby pepper jack. Next time will add more jalapeno, because it wasn't spicy. Super tasty sauce though! One of my new favorites 🙂
Kathryn
I'm so happy you enjoyed it Lynn! If you leave some of the membranes in the jalapeños, that'll add some extra heat too. 😊
Stacey
I tried this out for dinner last night, it is amazing! It is quick, simple, and I generally have all the ingredients on hand. My husband raved too and told me to definitely put it in the rotation.
I made it exactly as written, I think the only thing I'll try different is cubing the chicken instead of cooking it whole and then serving it over brown rice. I think that would be easier with the kids and would maybe stretch a little farther?
Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe that will now be a regular in my home!
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you guys loved it Stacey! Thanks so much for sharing! And yes, you could definitely cut the chicken into strips or cubes and cook it that way. 😊
Amy Wyatt
This was such a gigantic hit! Even my kids went crazy over it! My husband slurped and licked up every drop, then considered doing the same to the pan and my son begged to have it again the next day. Everyone is happy to see it in the calendar again this week!
Kathryn
Oh I'm so happy to hear you all loved it Amy!! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊❤️
Jason P COLLINS
Thank you for this amazing recipe! A friend of mine mentioned having a version of this while visiting family and it sounded sooo good i had to try it. So I looked online and stumbled on your recipe it's now in regular rotation in our menu.
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, I'm so happy to hear you love it Jason! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Critical Cook
My family and are very critical of food, and we found this dish to be excellent. I'm the cook, and this is one of very few recipes which turned out PERFECT when prepared exactly according to the recipe. Really. I prepared (1 1/2) of the recipe because I had extra chicken and wanted to use it. And, boy, I am glad I did. After trying this, I discarded two different jalapeno chicken recipes, both of which were very good. The "NOTES" section mentioned serving it over rice or riced cauliflower, which I didn't do. But next time, I'll serve it over riced cauliflower because we are trying to do the low carb diet. TRY THIS RECIPE!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I'm so happy to hear you all loved it so much! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Jennifer
Yum! This was so good! It was pretty spicy which I love. It had such great flavor and the whole time I was cooking it my husband kept talking about how great it smelled. I served it with rice for him and the kids and I just ate some green beans along side it. I definitely wish I would've roasted some cauliflower and poured the cheese sauce all over it, it was that good! Will definitely be making again. Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, I'm so glad you and your family loved it!! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Kellie
Ooooo so very excited to try this tonight!!!! I am going to fry up some bacon pieces and through that in there too!!! My tummy started growling just reading the recipe!!!
Kathryn Doherty
Yay! I hope you love it Kellie! 😊
Darlene
I love this recipe! Didn't deviate. Followed recipe exactly. I love it, so does husband 😋
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, I'm so happy to hear you both enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Kady Pearce
I made this tonight! I tried the creamy Chipotle chicken recipe last week, and I liked it, but I was thinking I might like it better with Shredded chicken. I did everything in your recipe, just Shredded the chicken. It turned out great!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy you enjoyed it Kady! Fun idea, too, of shredding it to get it super duper coated in the sauce. Yum!
Shann
Has anyone tried this with pickled jalapeños instead of fresh ones?
Abby
The one thing I did was cut the chicken in cubes and season them 2 hrs earlier and Oh My God This is absolutely outstanding! Not too strong, not too light, it is perfect, creamy, flavorful, wow. I cook with online recipes every day and I have to say, this is top 5 the best I’ve tried. Thank you so much!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh yay, I'm so happy to hear you loved it Abby! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment - I so appreciate it!! 😊
Susan
This recipe is fantastic! I was looking for a replacement for a similar dish from a Mexican dish since closed. This is so much better! I use Monterey Jack cheese and it is good with chips and tortillas. It's better than the restaurant! I made it two days in a row. Thanks so much.
Kathryn Doherty
Oh yay, thank you so much! That's so great to hear, and I really appreciate you sharing! 😊
Suz
This was fantastic! I substituted a 1/2 cup heavy cream for the cream cheese because I'm not a cream cheese person and it turned out great. I served over white rice. Next time I think I'll double the sauce because it was to die for.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you loved it! And thanks for sharing that substitution - so helpful! 🙂
Aly
I love this dish, but it’s too spicy for most of my family to eat (lame-o’s) so I think I’d like to try it with green chili’s instead in hopes that the kids will eat it. I have high hopes!
Kathryn Doherty
What wimps. Kidding, my daughter is like that as well. Usually if I'm careful to get ALL of the seeds and inner membranes removed, this recipe is pretty mild and works fine for her. But I get it. Would love to hear how you like the green chili swap!
Cathy
I used the medium heat jarred jalapeños. Still got the flavor and some heat without the burn😋. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing!