Party Poppers

By stancec44

Satisfy hungry houseguests with an oven baked spicy two-bite appetizer stuffed with a cream cheese filling of chicken, cilantro, and fresh lime juice and wrapped in hickory-smoked bacon. This quick and easy appetizer, with just a few ingredients and even fewer steps, will make entertaining easy without the hassle of fussing over the oven all day and night. For those who like it hot, swap mini sweet peppers for spicy jalapeños.

Serves 6 - 4 each

Ingredients

• 12 12 12 medium jalapeno chiles
• 12 12 12 medium jalapeno chiles
• 12 12 12 medium jalapeno chiles
• 1 1 pkg. 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1 pkg. 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1 pkg. 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
• 1 1 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
• 1 1 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
• 2 2 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 2 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 2 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 1 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 1 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3/4 3/4 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 3/4 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 3/4 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 12 12 hickory-smoked bacon slices, cut in half
• 12 12 12 hickory-smoked bacon slices, cut in half
• 12 12 12 hickory-smoked bacon slices, cut in half
• 24 24 24 wooden picks
• 24 24 24 wooden picks
• 24 24 24 wooden picks

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut each chile in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membranes.

Stir together cream cheese, chicken, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Spoon 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons chicken mixture into each chile half, spreading to fill cavity. Wrap each half with a bacon piece, and secure with a wooden pick. Place poppers on a lightly greased wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven until bacon begins to crisp and chiles are softened, about 25 minutes. Increase oven temperature to broil, and broil until bacon is crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.