Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Popper Casserole

Ingredients

• Chicken thigh

  Broilers or fryers, meat and skin, raw

  6 thigh, bone removed or 564g

• Salt

  Table

  1 dash or 0.4g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  1 dash or 0.1g

• Bacon

  Raw, cured pork

  6 strip or 72g

• Jalapeno peppers

  Raw

  3 pepper or 42g

• Cream cheese

  Low fat

  12 oz or 340g

• Mayonnaise

  Regular, with salt

  4 tbsp or 55g

• Pepper or hot sauce

  Ready-to-serve

  4 tbsp or 58g

• Cheddar cheese

  4 oz or 113g

• Mozzarella cheese

  Part skim milk

  2 oz or 57g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Pat the deboned chicken thighs dry, season with salt and pepper, and arrange on a rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until nearly cooked through and the skin renders, about 40 minutes.
2. While the chicken bakes, chop the bacon and cook in a skillet over medium heat until almost crisp. Add the chopped jalapeños (de-seeded if you prefer less heat) and sauté until softened.
3. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese, mayonnaise, and hot sauce until smooth and creamy. Season to taste.
4. Let the chicken cool slightly, then transfer it to a 9x13-inch casserole dish (leave whole or cut into large chunks). Spread the creamy jalapeño-bacon mixture evenly over the chicken and top with the cheddar and mozzarella.
5. Bake at 400°F until hot and bubbling, 10–15 minutes. Switch to broil and cook until the top is browned in spots, 2–3 minutes, watching closely. Rest 5 minutes before serving.