When it comes to appetizers, there’s no doubt about it—jalapeño poppers are my all-time favorite. I love how they are crunchy, creamy and spicy, all in one little bite. For this recipe I combined my love for slow-cooker pulled chicken and the zesty flavor of jalapeño poppers into one beautiful sandwich.
To start, place chopped onion on the bottom of your 6-quart slow cooker and top with chicken breasts, seasoning the chicken with salt as you go.
Next, pour the salsa verde on top of chicken.
Finally, add in your diced tomatoes. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Once chicken is done, shred it with two forks. Then set your slow cooker to low and cover it up ‘til you’re ready to assemble sandwiches.
Next, let’s make the buttery, crunchy crumb topping. It adds loads of texture and smoky flavor, thanks to the bacon, so don’t skip this step! In a pan, over a medium heat, melt the butter. Add in diced bacon and Progresso Plain Bread Crumbs, stirring until lightly toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
Lastly, let’s make some homemade cheese sauce. Combine cheese, milk and butter in a small pan and melt over a low/medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
Now it’s time to put it all together! On a large bun, layer pulled chicken, cheese sauce, toasted bacon bread topping and, of course, sliced jalapeños. Dinner is now served, and holy cow, is it looking, smelling and tasting good.
Ingredients
-
Pulled Chicken
-
1/2cup chopped onion
-
2lb boneless skinless chicken breast
-
1/4teaspoon salt
-
1/2cup salsa verde
-
1can (10.5 oz) Muir Glen™ diced tomatoes, undrained
-
Toasted Bacon Bread Crumbs
-
2tablespoons butter
-
3slices diced cooked bacon
-
2/3cup Progresso™ plain bread crumbs
-
Cheese Sauce
-
2tablespoons butter
-
1cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
-
1/4cup milk
-
Buns and Optional Topping
-
4large buns
-
1/2cup pickled sliced jalapeño chiles, if desired
Directions
-
1In bottom of 6-quart slow cooker, place chopped onion; top with chicken breast. Season chicken with salt.
-
2Pour salsa verde and diced tomatoes on top of chicken. Cover; cook on High heat setting 4 hours.
-
3Shred chicken with 2 forks. Set slow cooker to lowest setting, and cover until ready to assemble sandwiches.
-
4In 1-quart saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add diced bacon and bread crumbs, stirring 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly toasted. Set aside.
-
5In another 1-quart saucepan, heat Cheese Sauce ingredients over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.
-
6On large buns, layer pulled chicken, cheese sauce, toasted bacon bread crumbs and pickled sliced jalapeño chiles.
View Recipe Page