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No more boring chicken dinners: This baked jalapeno popper hasselback chicken recipe is packed with flavor and a fun way to switch up chicken meals! Everyone will enjoy this jalapeno popper chicken breast, because it combines all the flavors of jalapeño poppers into one main chicken dish. Layers of creamy cheese, bacon, and sliced jalapenos… there’s so much to love!
What Is Hasselback Chicken?
Hasselback chicken breast is a fun twist on stuffed chicken! It involves deep cuts in the chicken with filling stuffed between the slices.
This cooking method originated with hasselback potatoes at the Hasselbacken Restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden, but it works with a variety of other foods, including chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Jalapeno Popper Hasselback Chicken Recipe
- Tender, creamy, cheesy, and spicy
- Just 5 simple ingredients (plus salt, pepper, and one optional ingredient)
- Quick 15-minute prep
- Naturally gluten free and low carb
- Easy to stuff with anything!

Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for jalapeno popper chicken, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Chicken Breasts – I find that boneless skinless chicken breasts work best for hasselbacking, but you could try boneless skinless chicken thighs as well.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – For seasoning the chicken.
- Cream Cheese – Either full-fat or light would work. Allow it to sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to soften.
- Cheddar Cheese – I used cheddar cheese because I think it’s best for melting, but you could also use mozzarella, Colby jack, or your favorite melting cheese.
- Bacon – My favorite methods for cooking bacon for this hasselback chicken recipe are bacon in the oven or air fryer bacon! But you can use the stove top, too, if you prefer. Just make sure it’s cooked, otherwise it will be floppy if you start with it raw.
- Jalapeno – Use a fresh one and cut into thin slices. The seeds are the spiciest part, so leave them in if you like heat or remove them if you want a milder result. If you don’t like jalapenos, you can cut bell peppers into pieces and use those instead.
- Fresh Chives – Chives are optional, but I think they add a fresh flavor to the cream cheese.

How To Make Hasselback Chicken
This section shows how to make the best hasselback chicken, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven. Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer in a stoneware baking dish.
- Season. Add salt and pepper to both sides of the chicken.
- Slice. Use a sharp knife to cut 6 slits in the top of each chicken breast in the short direction. Cut most of the way through, but not all the way to the bottom.
- Stuff with cheese. In a medium or small bowl, mash together the cream cheese and shredded cheddar. Stuff the cheese mixture into the slits.


- Add bacon and jalapenos. Slice the bacon into 3 sections each. Stuff the bacon slices into each slit, 6 small pieces per chicken breast. Stuff the jalapeno slices into each slit, 6 slices per chicken breast.

TIP: Add more heat if you want.
As written, this chicken is pretty mild with 1 jalapeno piece per chicken slice. Even my young kids ate it. If you like more heat, you can use 2 or 3 jalapenos instead of just one, and place more jalapenos between each slice before baking.
- Bake. Cook hasselback chicken in the oven, until the chicken internal temperature reaches at least 163 degrees F. (For best results, use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, not the filling area.) You can cook to 165 degrees F to be extra safe, but I prefer to take it out a little early and let it reach 165 degrees F while resting.
- Rest. Remove from the oven and let the jalapeno popper chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. (This allows the internal temperature to rise to fully cooked, and also ensures that the chicken stays juicy.)
- Garnish. Add a sprinkle of fresh chives right before serving, if desired.


Variations For Hasselback Chicken Recipes
Instead of the jalapeno popper chicken stuffing, try making chicken hasselback with different fillings:
- Hasselback Chicken Caprese – Slice tomatoes and mozzarella very thinly, and cut the pieces to a width slightly wider than the thickness of your chicken breast. Stuff a piece of mozzarella, a tomato slice, and a whole basil leaf into each slit in the chicken. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar before baking.
- Creamy Spinach – Make the filling like my spinach stuffed chicken recipe, then stuff that into the slits.
- Cheesy Asparagus – Stuff provolone or mozzarella cheese into the slits. Cut thin, small asparagus spears into 6 pieces and put a piece in each chicken slit. Or, check out my asparagus stuffed chicken recipe.
- Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu – Stuff the slits with slices of ham, Swiss cheese, and a touch of Dijon mustard.
- Ranch Hasselback Chicken – Add ranch seasoning to the cream cheese mixture to make a bacon, ranch, and cheese filling.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Place leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Meal prep: You can prep hasselback chicken recipes ahead of time. Assemble them ahead and store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days, then bake right before serving.
- Reheat: Warm up in the oven at 350 degrees F, or in the microwave.
- Freeze: You can freeze jalapeno popper chicken, before or after baking, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking or reheating as usual. For other hasselback chicken recipes, it will depend on the filling and whether it freezes well.

What To Serve With Hasselback Chicken
This jalapeno popper chicken is a filling meal, so it just needs a simple side! Here are a few side dishes to try with it:
- Easy Veggies – Since this chicken is filling on its own, try pairing it alongside a lighter healthy side dish like roasted broccolini, roasted vegetables, sauteed broccoli, or cauliflower rice.
- Potatoes – The easiest way to tone down a spicy dish is to serve it with a side of potatoes. Try this dish over roasted potatoes, your favorite mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower), or baked sweet potatoes.
- Simple Salads – Caprese salad, spring mix salad, or a classic wedge salad would all compliment this hasselback chicken recipe.
More Cheesy Chicken Recipes
Looking for more ways to shake up plain chicken? Try some of my favorites:
Recommended Tools
- Stoneware Baking Dish – This baking dish is great quality and nice enough to take low carb jalapeno popper chicken right from the oven to the table.
- Meat Thermometer – I like this one because it reads quickly. It’s one of my must-have kitchen tools to ensure chicken and meat recipes are done correctly, not dry or undercooked.
Hasselback Chicken Recipe
Hasselback Chicken (Jalapeno Popper Style)
Jalapeno popper hasselback chicken is an easy, flavorful dinner with just 5 simple ingredients, including bacon, cream cheese, and jalapenos.
Recipe Video
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
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Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer in a stoneware dish. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
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Cut 6 slits in the top of each chicken breast in the short direction, about 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) apart, cutting about 3/4 of the way down but not all the way through to the bottom.
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In a medium bowl, mash together the cream cheese and shredded cheddar. Stuff the cheese mixture into the slits.
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Stack the cooked bacon slices and make 2 cuts to cut each slice into 3 pieces, which would be approximately the width of the chicken breasts. (If you don’t have any cooked, you can cook bacon in the oven like this while you prep the chicken.) Stuff the bacon slices into each slit, 6 small pieces per chicken breast.
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Stuff the jalapeno slices into each slit, 6 slices per chicken breast.
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Bake for about 25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches at least 163 degrees F (71 degrees C). (Note: The baking time will vary depending on the size of your baking dish. If the chicken pieces are not touching each other, they will be done faster.)
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Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Internal temperature will continue to rise a few degrees — use a meat thermometer to ensure it has reached 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) before serving.
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Sprinkle with fresh chives right before serving, if desired.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 hasselback chicken breast
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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18 Comments
Journa Liz Ramirez
0This hasselback chicken is so simple and easy! It is so delicious and packed with flavors. Our new favorite!
Roxie
0My daughter just gave me this recipe and told me to cook it for her. And definitely everyone is looking forward on the weekend for this.
Glenda
0Delicious! What a great idea to hasselback the chicken. It really helped all the flavors permeate the meat. I’m going to be trying it with other flavor combos, now that I see how easy it is to prep. Thanks!
Cam
0This was so flavorful! I love how easy this was to make!
Bec
0We love jalapeno poppers at our house, so the thought of stuffing those flavors with chicken sounded too amazing to pass up! The chicken came out perfectly juicy and tender, and it was so simple to make, we’ll be having it for dinner again next week. 🙂
Zevon
0I made this about about two years ago, and for some reason the cream cheese got kind of clumpy/chunky/curdled – and it didn’t ruin it, it was still good, but it would have been better if that hadn’t happened. I’m about to make this again this week, so I was wondering, did I mess something up/is there some way to prevent that, or is that just an unavoidable thing that happens?
Either way, fantastic recipe, especially for a tasty keto dinner.
Thank you!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Zevon, Did this happen after you baked?
Shelley
0Thank you for this recipe! I made this tonight and even my super picky child loved it. This will now go into our bi-weekly dinner rotation.
Andrea
0This was easy and quick to put together! We loved it and it’ll definitely be made again
Dances
0We love this recipe. I make this recipe 3-4 times a month now. This is the absolute most delicious chicken dish I have ever made. I live with a man that does not like chicken and he loves this so much he requests this all the time now. I made one change, I add butter to the bottom of the dish and it makes a gravy that is to die for. Thanks so much.
Debra
0I am looking forward to trying this.
Lyn Berry
0What th WHAT?? This was SO Delicious!! Followed the recipe to the T, Except added more Jaleps, cause I like it spicy. Hubby put it on the top 10 list and he’s not a Keto guy. This is just GOOD STUFF!
Pauline
0Do I have to cover it with aluminum foil or not before putting it in the oven?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Pauline, No need to cover this with foil before baking.
Maggie
0Would this be okay to make with boneless thighs? Sure looks delicious!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Maggie, I think that would work fine. Enjoy!
Jessica
0This was my first time making hasselback chicken (I had made potatoes before) and it was delicious! We loved the spice from jalapenos.
Nellie Tracy
0Loving this delicious comfort food!