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Tex-Mex Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

Tex-Mex bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken is made with thinly sliced boneless chicken breasts stuffed with a jalapeño cheese mixture, wrapped in bacon, and baked to perfection. This family favorite recipe for chicken bacon roll-ups is simple to make and always a hit!  This delicious bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken is also packed with 30 grams of protein!

a bacon-wrapped chicken breast on a plate with a side salad and a pan of bacon-wrapped chicken breasts in the background

These Tex-Mex Chicken Roll-ups are a family favorite recipe that I’ve been making for years. Anytime bacon is cooking, my kids run to the kitchen and ask what’s for dinner. It smells SO good in the oven and who doesn’t get excited about the aroma of bacon? 

Recipe Ingredients

  • Jalapeños– use large fresh jalapeños for this recipe.  Don’t shy away from the fresh jalapeños. Most of the heat in jalapeños is in the seeds, so seeding them and sautéing them takes away most of the heat so they don’t turn out very spicy.  The fresh jalapeños add great flavor!
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil– for sautéing the jalapeños.
  • Chicken cutlets-I highly recommend buying the thinly sliced chicken cutlets for this dish. If you use regular breasts, you need to pound them out really thin with a meat mallet and that’s a real pain in the arse. They roll up better and stay put when the meat isn’t too thick. Using the cutlets in this recipe results in tender, juicy and flavorful chicken!  
  • Cream Cheese– use the block cream cheese, not the whipped cream cheese in the tub for this recipe.  Very important!  Low-fat or regular cream cheese both work great in this recipe.
  • Ricotta Cheese– go for the whole milk ricotta.  It’s creamier and has more flavor!
  • Adobo Seasoning Blend– I love this seasoning for Tex-Mex recipes.  I’ll share a photo below of the one I use.
  • Additional spices: Salt, pepper, and paprika
  • Bacon– I love the center-cut bacon, but it’s not quite long enough for rolling.  Go for the regular strips of bacon for this recipe.
ingredients for bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken on a cutting board

This is the Adobo seasoning that I used in this recipe.  However, any adobo seasoning blend should work well for this dish.

bottle of adobo seasoning

Instructions

  1. First, seed and chop the jalapeño
  2. Next, sauté the jalapeño slices in olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
  3. Then lay the chicken cutlets out on a flat surface and, in the center of the breast, add the cream cheese, ricotta, several strips of jalapeño, and season with Adobo seasoning and paprika, to taste. 
  4. Spray a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray.  Roll up the breasts and wrap each piece in bacon and secure with a toothpick.  Place them in the baking dish.
photo of steps for making this recipe outlined in this post

Bake for one hour until the bacon turns lightly browned. Serve with your favorite sides.

bacon-wrapped chicken breasts in a baking dish just cooked

Recipe Tip

If you can’t find the thinly sliced chicken cutlets in your local grocery store, ask the butcher if they can cut some for you.  Typically, they are happy to provide this service.  I often double this recipe for a crowd because it disappears fast!  It’s also a great recipe to make for weekly meal prep.  If you double it, a 9×13 baking dish works great for 12 bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken breasts.

Tex-Mex bacon-wrapped chicken on a plate with salad and a fork

Side Dish Ideas

A few of my favorite Southwest-inspired side dishes to serve with this recipe are Amazing BroccoliBlack Bean and Corn Mojo Salad, Texas Caviar, Sriracha Roasted Cauliflower, or Easy Mexican Bean Salad.  You also can never go wrong with a simple mixed green salad and your favorite homemade salad dressing.

*This recipe was originally published in February 2015 and updated in March 2021 with recipe enhancements and new photos.   sliced stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon on a plate with salad and a fork

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close up of a bacon-wrapped chicken breast sprinkled with fresh parsley on a plate with greens

Tex-Mex Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

Boneless chicken breast stuffed with a jalapeño cheese mixture, wrapped in bacon and baked to perfection.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Southwest
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 367kcal
Author: Amee

Ingredients

  • 3 large jalapeños seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 24 oz thinly sliced chicken cutlets 6 cutlets around 4 ounces each
  • 6 oz cream cheese
  • 6 tbsp whole milk ricotta cheese
  • Adobo seasoning blend to taste
  • Paprika to taste
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  • Saute jalapeños in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.
  • Lay out chicken cutlets and spread 2 tbsp cream cheese and 1 tbsp ricotta on each piece
  • Top with a few slices of jalapeño and sprinkle, to taste, with adobo seasoning and paprika
  • Roll up each breast and wrap each with 1 slice of bacon, sealing on one side.
  • Season with salt and pepper and place the roll-ups into a lightly greased 9×9 square baking dish.
  • Bake 1 hour until the bacon turns lightly golden brown.
  • If desired brownness hasn't been achieved, you can turn the heat to broil and cook, watching closely, until the top is nice and crispy.

Nutrition

Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 769mg | Potassium: 538mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 566IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg
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Amee Livingston
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