Jalapeño Stuffed Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce---oh my!

Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken Breasts in Poblano Cream Sauce

This recipe is from Celia Lopez, whose specialty is interior Mexican food. Despite a language barrier, over the years we have managed to communicate to one another ingredients, amounts needed, and cooking techniques. It's always a treat to have her cook in my kitchen. She teaches me how to make spicy moles and fresh chile salsas. I teach her how to bake biscotti, cookies, cakes, and scones. It's an excellent bartering system!

During a recent cooking lesson, Celia mentioned she had been asked to cook for a birthday party for 50 and would be making her jalapeno stuffed chicken breasts with a poblano cream sauce. Anything cooked with poblano chile gets my attention, so I begged her to save me a sample. The following week, I received a three containers: one with stuffed chicken breast, floating in a luscious green chile sauce; a second with a few cups of fluffy white rice, flavored with chicken bouillon, fresh lemon juice and corn kernels; and a third with spicy frijoles cooked with jalapenos and bacon. Heaven!

Jennifer's handwritten recipe--what a treat!

At my request, Celia's youngest daughter wrote the recipe down for me in the most beautiful hand-writing. So detailed, so perfectly printed. Isn't it wonderful now when you receive a handwritten recipe instead of a typed e-mail attachment? How soon we have forgotten the art of the pen.

The next week I had a cooking lesson, and like any other recipe, it sounded easy until I tried it myself. I was all thumbs initially as I tried to roll the stuffed cutlets; but after a few re-rolls it all started to come together. It's always nerve-wracking attempting someone else's recipe in front of them. After demonstrating how to butterfly and pound the chicken breasts into thin cutlets, Celia guided me through her filling and rolling technique. We then briefly sauteed the chicken rolls and set them aside. They would finish cooking in the sauce.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to roll the filled chicken and prepare the poblano sauce. Can you tell which rolls I made? I think it helps to see what something the finished product is supposed to look like--and then just do your best. It will still taste delicious.

Butterfly chicken breasts or cheat and buy thinner cutlets.

Season both sides with Goya Adobo.

 Slice fresh jalapenos and Monterey Jack cheese into strips.

Fill and roll like an enchilada.

Tuck and seal with toothpicks.

Ready to saute in non-stick pan with just a little vegetable oil.

A quick saute for a light golden char. 

Ready for final cooking in the sauce. Chicken is not completely cooked through.

To make sauce, stem, seed and coarsely chop poblano peppers.

Add chopped peppers to blender.

 Add sour cream, cream cheese, and one cup water and blend.
Season with salt and pepper.

Gorgeous bright green color and amazing smell.

 Saute onion in oil.

Slowly add the puree to the onions. Careful--it will splatter.

Add chicken bouillon and cup of water--notice the rice cooking on the other burner?

Add the partially cooked chicken breasts into the sauce and simmered on low,
covered, until just cooked through--10-20 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken cutlets.

And there you have it. Chicken breasts filled with melted Monterey Jack cheese and spicy fresh jalapeno slivers, simmered in a velvety poblano sauce and served on top of fluffy lemon flavored white rice with yellow corn kernels peeking through--definitely one of the tastiest chicken dishes I have ever tasted. And just so you know--adding fresh lemon juice to rice cooked in chicken stock is just about the best thing you will ever do to long grain rice. Subtle, fresh, and so good!

Try the recipe and let me know what you think. Trust me, you will asking for more of that sauce on your lemony rice.

Enjoy!


Celia's Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken with Poblano Cream Sauce
serves 6

3 whole chicken breast or 6 chicken cutlets
6 jalapeño peppers cut into 1/4" slices
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1/4" slices
6 poblano peppers, rinsed and dried
Goya Adobo All-Purpose Seasoning
2 cups sour cream
1 8-oz package cream cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Knorr Chicken Flavor Bouillon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, more as needed
1 cup water for puree
1 cup water for sauce, or as needed
Salt and pepper to taste

If using whole chicken breasts, pound until thinner and cut into two pieces. Season each cutlet with a generous amount of Goya Adobo seasoning. Place a few jalapeno and cheese slices on the end of each cutlet and roll into a spiral, like you would for a taquito or enchilada. Seal tightly with one or two toothpicks.

Heat one tablespoon oil on medium in frying pan and stuffed saute chicken breast for about 4 minutes on each side. Add additional oil, if needed. Chicken will finish cooking in sauce. You just want to sear them a little and begin the cooking process. Set aside.

To make the sauce, remove seeds and stems from poblanos. Coarsely chop and place in blender with cream cheese, sour cream and a cup of water. Puree until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in large frying pan and saute chopped onion and garlic until translucent. Carefully add the pureed poblano mixture, chicken bouillon and water. Bring sauce to a simmer. If too thick, add a little more water. Too thin, turn up the heat and reduce a bit. Sauce should be creamy and coat the back of your spoon, like an Alfredo sauce, and not runny. Cook on medium-low for 10-15 minutes, stirring as needed to keep sauce from sticking.

Add the partially cooked chicken rolls, cover and continue to cook on low for 10-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally, coating chicken as needed. Can be made ahead to this point and re-heated. Serve with long grain white rice made with chicken broth and lemon juice.

Mexican Lemon Rice

Follow the directions on your long grain rice package for water/rice proportions, but use chicken bouillon and water or chicken stock for the required liquid.

Saute rice in a small amount of oil over medium heat, stirring constantly to keep rice from burning. When rice begins to glistens and has just begun to brown, add liquid (chicken stock or bouillon mixed with water) and juice of half a lemon. Bring back to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. When rice is done, add a cup of fresh or canned corn and fluff with a fork to mix. 

Printable Recipe


Now, as Jennifer wrote at the end of the recipe--Ready to Eat!

Celia's Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken Breast with Poblano Sauce.
Definitely ready to eat!




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