Image credit: The Spruce Eats
Crispy, spicy, and cheesy jalapeño poppers are popular feel-good snacks. It only takes a little time, simple ingredients, and patience when assembling the jalapeños to make these tasty bites your new favourite snack. Follow this easy recipe to get the best crispy jalapeno poppers on your plates today!
*When working with these peppers, please use disposable gloves and avoid touching your face, as the jalapeño juices can get into your eyes or nose and cause an unpleasant burn.
Easy Jalapeño Poppers
Image credit: The Spruce Eats
Ingredients
- 312 g
Cream cheese, softened - 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 2 tsp Chilli powder
- 2 cups Pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 25 Jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut in half
- 117 ml
Milk - 1
Egg, beaten - 1 cup
All-purpose flour - ½ tsp
Salt - 1 ½ cups
Breadcrumbs (or panko breadcrumbs) - 3 – 4 cups
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Instructions
Jalapeño Pepper
- Hollow out the Jalapeño peppers and gather the ingredients.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, oregano, chilli powder, and pepper jack cheese. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Put it aside for now.
- Lower the boil to a simmer, blanch the pepper halves for 2 minutes and then place in an ice-water bath. Drain and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
- Carefully spoon the cream cheese mixture into the blanched jalapeño pepper halves. Put it aside for now.
Batter
- In a small bowl, combine the milk and egg.
- In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl and set them side by side to prepare your dredging station.
- Dip the stuffed jalapeños into the milk, and then into the seasoned flour mixture, making sure they are thoroughly coated. Repeat the process with all halves and place the coated jalapeños on wire racks to dry for about 10 minutes.
Assembling it
- Dip the jalapeños in the milk mixture again and then roll them in breadcrumbs to coat. The first milk and flour coat helps the breadcrumb to stick better to the pepper. Place all jalapeños on a clean baking sheet or baking dish that can fit inside your fridge.
- Allow the coated peppers to dry for 30 to 40 minutes in the fridge. Reserve all dredging station ingredients, placing the milk and egg mixture in the fridge as well. If after 40 minutes you notice any jalapeños to be in need of extra dredging, repeat the breading process—milk mixture and breadcrumbs.
- Heat the frying oil to 185°C in a large skillet. Deep-fry the jalapeño poppers from 2 to 4 minutes each, until golden brown and on all sides. Add more oil in between batches, as needed, and wait for it to heat up again before adding more jalapeños. Don't overcrowd the skillet.
- Remove the jalapeños poppers and let them drain on paper towels before plating.
Recipe credit: The Spruce Eats
