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! 
(Updated with a new VIDEO!)
How was your July 4th weekend? We had a really great one, full of sunshine and lots of pool time with the kiddos. Even a bowling night, bike parade and some fireworks crafts. Some really good all American fun! 🇺🇸
And now for today’s confession: I have a strange obsession with jalapeños. I can’t seem to stop planting them in my garden.
My first year, it’s because I didn’t know any better. I bought two (or was it three?) jalapeño plants.
I figured, we like spicy food, we’ll want to have lots of jalapeños. 🌶🌶🌶
Oh, silly novice gardener.
A couple of months later, when I literally had about 30 jalapeños coming in at a time, for weeks on end, I had to get creative quick.
Jalapeño pepper jelly and some canning fun. Stuffed jalapeños. Some wrapped with bacon, some not. (Eaten immediately and extras frozen.) Lots of tacos and salsa and my Mississippi caviar too.
I took bags full of jalapeños to my kids’ preschool teachers and even passed some out to our veterinarian and mail carrier.
Spreading the jalapeño love! 🌶💃❤️
I also made my 10-minute jalapeño cream cheese dip to eat as an appetizer with some chips. Cause melty cheese and a spicy kick is a sure-fire hit!
I also love keeping some of my easy fresh jalapeño relish on hand for tacos, rice bowls, even eggs!
And here, I’ve added some chicken to make a quick and easy main course chicken jalapeño dish that’s got just a hint of spice and loads of creamy, cheesy sauce to coat every slice of perfectly cooked chicken.
Flavor central my friends!
(And if you love this dish like we do, you should also check out this Cajun chicken pasta recipe for an easy all-in-one dinner.)
OK, let’s get cooking.
Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make creamy chicken jalapeño. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
How to make cheesy chicken jalapeño:
– You sear the seasoned chicken breasts first and then remove them from the pan.
– Next, sauté the onion and jalapeño and garlic. Stir in the chicken broth and cheese until it’s all melted and mixed.
– Return the chicken breasts to the pan, turning to get them coated in the sauce.
– Cover the pan and cook everything until the sauce is thickened up and the chicken is perfectly juicy tender. Done!
This recipe is 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 and dinner is served! 🙌
This year, I restricted myself to just one jalapeño plant in my garden. So my overload will be somewhat more manageable.
Or so I hope…
Either way, I’ll be putting this chicken jalapeño skillet supper on the weekly menu and not complaining one bit.
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
P.S. I made you a VIDEO for this yummy recipe! Check it out!
Chicken breasts with jalapeño cheese sauce
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!
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 4 (5-6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
- 3 medium jalapeños, seeds and membranes removed, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 oz. cream cheese (I use 1/3 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!
Notes
We love serving this with rice to soak up some of that amazing sauce. It would also be great with cauliflower rice, quinoa, polenta, even mashed potatoes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 576Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 210mgSodium: 697mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 65g
Candy says
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 says
I’m so happy to hear you loved it Candy! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Jennifer says
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 says
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.
David says
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 says
I’m so happy you love this recipe – and I love the idea of using it for tacos! 😊
April says
My husband new favorite dish I make at least once a week.
Kathryn says
Oh yay! I’m so happy to hear you love it April! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Karen says
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 says
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 says
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 says
*said “good chicken”
Kathryn says
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 says
How does the dish taste without the jalapeños?
Kathryn says
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!
Mary R says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Oh I’m so happy to hear you all loved it Amy!! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊❤️
Jason P COLLINS says
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 says
Yay, I’m so happy to hear you love it Jason! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Critical Cook says
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 says
Oh I’m so happy to hear you all loved it so much! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Jennifer says
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 says
Yay, I’m so glad you and your family loved it!! Thanks for sharing! 😊
Kellie says
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 says
Yay! I hope you love it Kellie! 😊
Darlene says
I love this recipe! Didn’t deviate. Followed recipe exactly. I love it, so does husband 😋
Kathryn Doherty says
Yay, I’m so happy to hear you both enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! 😊