Turn This Popular Pepper Jelly Appetizer Into A Full-Blown Meal With One Addition

Cream cheese and pepper jelly might just be the most underappreciated power couple in the appetizer world. In the South, we like to serve it with buttery Ritz crackers or warm cheddar biscuits for a never-fail small bite. This humble but genius party snack that's spicy, creamy, and sweet can become the base for an unexpectedly elegant yet comforting meal too. Add tender, seared chicken, and you've suddenly transformed a two-ingredient appetizer into a three-ingredient meal that's ready in under an hour. Rice, pasta, quinoa, mashed potatoes or any green vegetable are all easy pairings for creamy pepper jelly chicken. There is a bit of technique involved, but it's easy. First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to bake this saucy chicken dish after a nice sear. Pop some dinner rolls in there while the chicken is baking. 

Get started by tenderizing and then butterflying the chicken breasts. To do this, place two boneless, skinless chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound them with a meat mallet or rolling pin until they're ½-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, make a horizontal slit along the side of each breast — but don't cut all the way through. The goal is to open up the breasts and flatten them, and this technique allows us to either simmer the chicken in pepper jelly sauce or use the cream cheese and pepper jelly mixture as a stuffing . This choose-your-own-culinary adventure is another reason why this recipe is a keeper. Here's how to do both.

Allow a package of cream cheese to soften and then stir in a few generous tablespoons (about four ounces) of hot pepper jelly into the cream cheese until it's marbled. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and other dried spices you prefer. Spread a little cream cheese mixture over the chicken breasts and add other things you like: chopped spinach, sharp cheddar cheese, or bread crumbs would all be tasty. Just don't add too much — two tablespoons of a stuffing mixture will do. Bring up the sides of the chicken and pin it in place with tooth picks, and then sear the stuffed chicken in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Use a little water, chicken stock, or wine for deglazing and to add flavor to the pan sauce. Add the rest of the cream cheese mixture and bake it until the sauce is bubbly. 

Or season and sear the chicken, deglaze the pan, add the pepper jelly cream cheese, and give it all a stir. Either way you go, just remember to sear the chicken first, then finish it in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15–18 minutes, or until the internal temperature hits 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The result is a juicy, flavor-packed entree with a bold, creamy sauce. Try swapping out the chicken for fresh lump crab meat and adding Cajun spice for a hot dip that's out of this world. Just mix, bake, and let the good times roll.