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!
Dawn @ Girl Heart Food says
Woo hoo! This is the kind of one skillet dinner I'm talkin' about! Cheese plus jalapeno makes me a happy lady! I'll leave the membranes in the pepper 'cause I love me some spice 😉 Lucky you with all the jalapeno peppers! That sounds awesome. I'd gladly take some off your hands! Pinned, of course !
Sounds like you had a lovely weekend, Kathryn! Lots of fun and relaxing, just what a long weekend should be 🙂
Hope your week is off to a good start! xoxo
Kathryn says
Thanks so much Dawn! You'll love this creamy spicy goodness - such an easy weeknight dinner to throw together too! Hope you're having a lovely week as well 🙂 XO
Colleen says
Kathryn, this recipe is awesome! We licked our plates and wished for more. I had no broth or cream cheese so dubbed white wine and sour cream. It was so easy and tasty! I served on with spaghetti squash because I also had an abundance of them! I am sharing this recipe and using it again and again. Thank you!!
Kathryn says
I'm SO happy to hear you loved it Colleen! And that's great to know on the substitutions - thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Colleen says
I was exaggerating on licking the plate but it really was that delicious! A hard meal to follow , last nights meatloaf did not come close to getting the compliments I was given the previous night! I am looking forward to trying more recipes from your cook book! Thank you!
Alex says
Hi. Does this work as well with boneless thighs. Looked really tasty and thinking of having it this evening. Great work! -Alex
Kathryn says
Hi Alex! Yes, this recipe should work fine with chicken thighs as well. You'll just want to watch your time and make sure the chicken gets cooked all the way through. I hope you enjoy it!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Girl, I think you need to send me some jalapenos 😉
Kathryn says
Haha, right?! I will if I get another huge batch this year, but hopefully it'll be a bit more under control!
Liz @ Ready to Yumble says
All I can think when I look at this is QUESO! Sign me up for a nice big plate! Love that you have such an abundance of jalapenos - we're slowly learning what herbs do well in our tiny garden, so maybe next year I can move on to "real" plants!
Kathryn says
Yes, totally like queso - but as a whole meal 🙂 Herbs are a great place to start with a garden. It's so fun to explore and try different things!
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
I have several jalapeno and other pepper plants in my garden and I'm up to my eyeballs in them over here! I need to make this cheesy jalapeno chicken dish STAT!
Kathryn says
Haha, I know that feeling Rachelle 🙂 This will help make a small dent in your jalapeno haul!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
#JalapenoProblems are good problems to have!! I'm obsessed with jalapenos so I would have been thrilled to receive some fresh ones from your garden... reason number 356 I need to get my butt to Charlotte! 😉 Anyways, I am loooooving this chicken!! Seriously the cheese sauce alone sounds fabulous, but using it to smother some chicken??? OMGeeee YESSSS! THIS is my type of dinner! Pinned! Cheers!
P.s. So glad ya'll had a wonderful holiday weekend!!
Kathryn says
You're right, it's only *sort-of* a complaint 😉 And yes, please, please come to Charlotte!! I'll give you ALL the jalapenos 😉
James \ The Nude-Food Hero says
Looking at these photos are giving me all those warm, fuzzy comfort-food-feels. Definitely need to try this recipe asap!
Kathryn says
Thanks James! It's total comfort food (but super easy!)
Olivia @ Olivia's Cuisine says
This looks absolutely mouthwatering, Kathryn. It's like 100 degrees in here, but I could go for a plate right now. YUM!
Kathryn says
Beat the heat by adding some heat! (OK, not sure if that really works, but I'm always up for a bit of spice!)
Alaina @ A Not So Quiet Kitchen says
This chicken looks so crazy good!! I absolutely LOVE jalapenos! And this cheesy, creamy sauce looks just perfect! I can't wait to try this for dinner!!
Kathryn says
Thanks Alaina!! I'm a jalapeno fanatic too and I know you will LOVE this easy cheese sauce 🙂
Alexandra Caspero says
This sauce looks incredible! Wow! Love the spicy kick!
Kathryn says
Thanks Alexandra! It's got tons of flavor!
Adina says
I love the color of the dish, and the list of ingredients sounds great! I hope to find some jalapenos soon, unfortunately there is no one who can pass me on some... 🙂
Kathryn says
Wish I could send some straight to you Adina!! Hope you get your hands on some jalapenos -- or you could substitute another pepper -- and give this a try! 🙂
Mark says
I made this yesterday and uses fresh roasted pablano peppers fantastic.
Kathryn says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it Mark! And love the idea of having roasted poblano peppers in here!
KalynsKitchen says
Happy Friday! Just letting you know I featured this recipe for my weekly Low-Carb Recipe Love on Fridays post. I hope a lot of my readers will click over and try your recipe; looks great!
Kathryn says
Thanks so much Kalyn!! I'll be sure to check it out and share on social media! Have a wonderful weekend!
Holly says
Can you use bonless chicken thighs?
Kathryn says
Hi Holly! I think you could definitely substitute boneless chicken thighs. You may need to adjust the cooking time to make sure they're completely cooked through. Would love to hear how you enjoy it!
L Hines says
Can this recipe be frozen for a later meal?
Kathryn says
Sure! You can freeze the leftover cooked chicken and sauce then reheat. (I like to slice my chicken when reheating so it warms up quicker and doesn't dry out as much.)
Maria Whitten says
Amazing! spicy and creamy just RIGHT! I love it.
Thanks for sharing. I'm sure my husband will love it too.
Kathryn says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Maria! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Tiffany says
I am an advid cook and found this recipe delicious! I did tweek it a bit though, substituted Gouda for Cheddar added spinach and a little dry sherry...maybe my new favorite! Excellent 🖒🖒🖒
Kathryn says
I'm so glad to hear you loved it Tiffany! Thanks so much for sharing!
Brittany V. says
This was simply DELECTABLE! I added in red, yellow, and orange bellpeppers, then topped with a little sour cream and chives. Even my boyfriend loved it, and he's an extremely picky eater!
Kathryn says
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Brittany! Great idea to add some peppers and I'm ALL about the toppings! Thanks so much for sharing 😊
Tara says
Any suggestions for a side dish to serve with this?
Kathryn says
Hi Tara! I'm a potato fanatic so I love this alongside my easy microwave "baked" potatoes (https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/10-minute-baked-potatoes/) but it'd also be great on top of some steamed rice or even pasta to soak up the extra sauce. And then any of your favorite veggies to round out the meal -- steamed broccoli or asparagus, a simple side salad or my quick collard greens with bacon if you want a Southern comfort food flair (https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/quick-southern-collard-greens-bacon/). I hope you try it!
Tara says
Thank you for the suggestions! I plan on trying your recipe this week. It looks delicious!
Donella says
I made a type of spanish rice in my instant pot. To die for girl. This recipe is the BOOM-DIGGITY.
Jessica says
Do you think this could be done in a crockpot? Or does it need to be cooked in a pan?
Kathryn says
Hi Jessica! I've never tried it in the crockpot. I think cooking it in a pan is the best plan so you can sear the chicken and saute the onions to give the dish more flavor. I think if you really wanted to use the crockpot, you could do the chicken in there with the spices and then make the sauce in the pan and add the chicken to get it coated (either whole or shredded). Hope that helps!
Kristy says
This is an absolutely DELICIOUS meal! I serve it over white rice and with a veggie and it's one of my family's favorites, hands down. I tell everyone I know about this recipe because it's so unique, yet so simple! I can't say enough good things about this dinner-if you're reading this and wondering whether or not to try it...TRY IT! I promise you will love it! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Kathryn says
Aww, thanks so much Kristy! That makes me so happy to hear you and your family love this recipe!! (It's one of our favorites too!) I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment 😊 Have a wonderful weekend!
Melissa says
My new favorite low carb meal! The cheese sauce is great over riced cauliflower.
Kathryn says
I'm so happy to hear you love it - thanks for sharing! And I love the idea of putting it over riced cauliflower - YUM!
Missy T says
Everyone in my family LOVED this recipe and that is unheard of at my house. DH and I liked ours smothered but the boys ate theirs plain just dipped in the cheese sauce every once in a while. Keeper for sure!
Kathryn says
I am so, so happy to hear that Missy!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Kathy McKeand says
Made this for the first time tonight as we had a lot of jalapenos to use for our garden. We really liked the recipe and will make it again (maybe keeping a few seeds of the jalapeños in the recipe for more heat). Thank you so much for sharing.
Kathy
Kathryn says
I'm so happy to hear that Kathy! Thanks so much for sharing!
Amber says
Are the nutritional facts for the whole meal or one piece of chicken?
Kathryn says
Hi Amber, that's per serving for a total of 4 servings (so it's 460 calories for one serving). Also, I believe it's calculating full-fat cream cheese and full-fat cheddar cheese. Hope that helps!
Jamie says
Thank you for sharing this. Made this last night and it was awesome! Like yourself I used the reduced fat cream cheese and it didn't diminish the flavor at all. I used Cracker Barrel white cheddar cheese. I also doubled the sauce because I served this over jasmine rice and wanted extra sauce. Anyone considering making it; take the plunge! It doesn't disappoint!
Kathryn says
Hi Jamie! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing 😊 And good call on making extra sauce!!
Nora says
This recipe was fantastic! If you're reading through the comments to see if you should give it a try: YES! I was too lazy to closely follow the instructions and it still turned out delicious --- And I'm not actually a good cook =P
I served this over cauliflower rice, and it was HEAVENLY! I didn't taste the cauliflower, and it was just a creamy sauce with lots of flavor.
Thank you so much for posting 🙂
Kathryn says
I'm so happy to hear you loved it Nora - thanks so much for sharing! And the cauliflower rice pairing sounds delicious! 😊
Krueger says
Made this over the weekend, and it was very delicious! My only question (unrealted to this post) is whether or not you have some healthy steak/beef recipes for the meat lovers out there? Besides that, this recipe is definitely a keeper. 😉
Kathryn says
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Right now, I don't have any beef or steak recipes on the site. I don't eat much red meat but as my kids are growing up, I think I'll be incorporating more. So stay tuned! Also, I do have a lot of ground turkey recipes that you could use as a base and substitute lean ground beef. Check them out here: https://www.familyfoodonthetable.com/category/maindishes/turkey/ Hope that helps!