Crispy Chicken Jalapeno Popper Dinner

I made something for dinner this week that I have never made before. While eating it Jon said "I would pay at least $15.00 for this at a restaurant." Later, he posted this on Facebook "Just ate dinner... Had breaded chicken and cheddar jalapeno potatoes. One of the best things I have ever eaten! It tasted like a crispy chicken jalapeno popper! Eat this before you die! Thank you Deanna. I love you."

Since what I made doesn't have an official title, we'll just call it the Crispy Chicken Jalapeno Popper Dinner!

I got my inspiration to make this meal from Siriously Delicious's recipe for Rosemary Pan Fried Chicken and Wasabi Mashed Cauliflower. I have never fried chicken before, so this was a big step for me!

I knew Jon would NOT go for the mashed cauliflower (even though I think it sounds awesome and will make this for myself as soon as I can find some Wasabi Paste). Also, he doesn't like the Rosemary & Olive Oil Triscuits Siri used in her recipe. So, that is why I say her recipe inspired me to make my own version of this meal.

Crispy Pan Fried Chicken

4-5 boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 a bag of Triscuit Baked Whole Grain Wheat Thin Crisps, crushed
2 cups flour
2 egg whites
crushed red pepper
salt and pepper
Olive Oil (I used Extra Light Olive Oil)

Flatten out chicken breasts with a meat tenderizer. (The chicken breasts I used were already flat, so I didn't tenderize them...) Season with salt and pepper.

Crush Triscuit crackers. (I smashed mine in a Zip-Loc baggy with the backside of an ice cream scoop.) Put cracker crumbs in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper. For more of a kick, I also added a couple shakes of crushed red pepper.

Put flour in a separate shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Put egg whites in a separate shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a pan over high heat. Careful not to burn - throw a drop of water in the pan and when oil sizzles, you're ready to go.

Take one chicken breast, coat in flour, then egg whites, then cracker mixture. Place in pan. Fit as many chicken breasts as you can in the pan. Fry chicken for a few minutes on each side, or until both sides are golden brown.

My chicken's still need to fry longer, but you get the idea. Also, I could have coated them better and will do so next time.


Jalapeno Cheddar Mashed Potatoes (FYI - I whipped these up myself without following a recipe, so this is my best guess at measurement amounts. Please use your own judgment based on what your personal tastes are!)

2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
2 whole jalapenos
1 cup fat free sour cream
1/4 cup butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Place potatoes in a large pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are tender, about a half hour.

Finely dice up jalapenos. I left the seeds and membranes in, but you could remove them.

Drain potatoes. Whip or mash them, adding the jalapenos, sour cream and butter. Finally add the cheddar cheese.

Serve with an extra dollop of sour cream on top!

(If you need a recipe to follow, I think this looks like a good one!)

Silly me, I didn't get any pictures of the potatoes or plated dinner... SORRY!

We also had corn (whole kernel, from the can) as a side. Awhile ago I saw a recipe for Fried Corn with Bacon that I really wanted to make, but I didn't bookmark the page with the recipe and couldn't find it again...


For me, this meal was all about the chicken. The Triscuit coating stays really crunchy and is super nummy! I'll make this often with a bunch of different sides :-)