Chicken Jalapeno Poppers

Now I know this is pan fried but I would suggest it is lightly fried.  This dish is pan fried in oil for maybe 4 minutes and then finished in the oven.  I have talked about this trick in other posts but it bears repeating.  Cooking dishes quickly in a pan for searing, or whatever you are trying to accomplish on the outside of the meat, but finishing in the oven makes it so moist.  In this case, the dish is ultimately cooked in the oven at 300 degrees.  A low temperature, so the chicken is cooked slowly.  I even finished the cooking on 225 degrees which is essentially, warming.  The bottom line is incredibly tasty, incredibly moist chicken.

Ingredients:

2 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 jalapeños, chopped (remove seeds for milder)
3 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
4 oz reduced fat shredded cheddar jack (Sargento)
2 tbsp chopped scallions
8 thin sliced skinless chicken breast cutlets, 3 oz each
1/2 cup Italian seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 1/2 juicy limes, juice of
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and fresh pepper
olive oil non-stick spray

Directions:

Stir together the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, and jalapenos in a small bowl.
Cut a pocket horizontally through the thickest side of each chicken breast, and fill with 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Secure with toothpicks.
Roll the chicken breasts in bread crumbs to coat. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook chicken breasts until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 8 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).