Jalapeño Popper Chicken

So Stacy starts this dinner group for inspiration. "What's For Dinner" it's called. Then she sees this recipe. No inspiration for meals? Mission accomplished. And this recipe is easy and delicious. Muy bueno! --Mark

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breast (about 3-4 chicken breasts)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 pound jalapeño peppers (about 5-6 peppers)
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup crumbled crispy bacon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375˚F

Lay chicken breasts flat in a casserole dish.  Season them with the garlic powder then spread the cream cheese over them evenly.

Wash the jalapeño peppers and then cut the tops off.  Remove the seeds and stems if you want it milder, or leave some if you want more spice, then cut the peppers into strips and lay them on top of the cream cheese then sprinkle the cheddar cheese over top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, remove from oven 5 minutes before cooking is complete and sprinkle with bacon then return for the remaining cook time.  Chicken is done when cooked through to an internal temperature of 165˚F.

Serve warm with a side of potatoes, veggies, or a baked potato.  Enjoy!

Notes:

We omitted the bacon and topped it with panko bread crumbs. Also, when we made this the first time, the store didn't have enough jalapeño peppers, so we mixed in poblanos. It worked very well.