Jalapeño poppers

After a bumper crop of small jalapeños in my garden, I needed to find something to do with them. Since we love jalapeño poppers in restaurants, I decided to give it a go. Believe it or not, they were pretty easy to make. After much research, I started from a simple recipe on allrecipes.com by hlsands. Drizzle with a salsa. The Fried serrano salsa is my favorite pairing.

  
    Recipe makes
    Active time
    Total time
  

    9 poppers
    40m
    40m
  

  
    Special equipment needed
  
    Small - medium pot for frying
  
    Deep-frying thermometer, optional
  
    Metal slotted spoon

Drizzled with Fried serrano salsa and Guajillo salsa.

  
    Ingredients
  
    9 small jalapeños, about 4 ounces
  
    2 ounces cream cheese, softened
  
    1 ounce shredded cheddar cheese
  
    1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
  
    1 tablespoon chopped red onion
  
    1/4 teaspoon paprika
  
    1/4 cup milk
  
    1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
    1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  
    2 1/2 cups peanut oil
  
    salt, pepper

  
    Variations
  
    • Make the poppers spicier by leaving the membrane on the inside of the chile or by adding chipotle powder or finely chopped jalapeño to the cheese mixture.
  
    • Use pepperjack cheese.
  
    • Add chopped cilantro to the cheese mixture.
  
    • Cut a poblano chile in half and stuff it with the cream cheese mixture. Coat these per the recipe instructions. When frying make sure the cut side stays facing up.

  
    Storage
  
    • The peppers can be stuffed ahead of time, covered, and refrigerated, but they should be eaten immediately once fried.

  
    Instructions
  
    • Cut off the stems of the jalapeños. Hollow them out from the top. See picture below.
  
    • Combine the cheeses, onion, and paprika in a bowl and mix thoroughly. 
  
    • Stuff the cheese mixture into the hollowed out chiles. The filling should be level with the chile and not mounded on top. 
  
    • Put the milk, flour, and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls. Season the flour with salt and pepper; stir to combine. Dip the stuffed chile into the milk and then roll it in the flour, coating each side, including the end with the cheese mixture. Let them dry while you prepare the oil.
  
    • In a small saucepan, add the oil. The oil should be deep enough to completely submerge the chiles. You will need to cook the jalapeños in multiple batches. The larger the diameter of the pan, the more oil you will use. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is hot enough that a small piece of bread sizzles when added, between 325 - 365º.  
  
    •  Dip the jalapeños in the milk again and then roll them in the breadcrumbs. Let them dry while the oil is heating. 
  
    •  Reroll the poppers in the breadcrumbs immediately before adding 5 of them to the hot oil. Stir with a slotted spoon occasionally to prevent them from sticking to each other. Cook them approximately 4 - 5 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove them with a metal slotted spoon to a platter lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining jalapeños.

Comments on this recipe?