Jalapeno Poppers
This is an odd way to begin a post about Jalapeno Poppers…but for a bit of backstory……
Here at Art of Cookery, one of my (Chef Valerie Hanson) favorite appliances is the Ninja Foodi. 
Not only is it a great electric pressure cooker, but it nearly could replace every cooking appliance in your kitchen, including your range. It just about does it all. No. I am not being paid for this or even trying to get you to buy one. Just sharing about a great tool I use in the kitchen. One drawback to it is that it is heavy.
P.S. Art of Cookery has to have a number of cookers for classes and has 2 Instant Pots and we love those as well. The Foodi just does more than other pressure cookers.
Art of Cookery class line-up includes a session called “Rock Your Pot” on how to use an electric pressure cooker and get maximum use of it. This post is about a specific feature of the Foodi. The air fryer.
Jump to RecipeHarvest Season
It is October in Michigan and last Friday I had to harvest everything left on my tomato and pepper plants due to a frost warning. Since I have been using the bountiful plants yummy fruit all summer, I was shocked to see how much was still on the plants. Specifically, ripe to green tomatoes and bell, 
jalapeno, serrano, poblano, cayenne, sweet Italian, and Anaheim peppers.
It ended up not freezing. But, better safe than sorry. I’d have cried over losing all that produce.
So for five days, I have been canning tomatoes, marinara, pickled green tomatoes, pickled peppers, pepperoncini, and salsa verde. I’ve also been dehydrating various peppers.
Jalapeno POPPERS
Yesterday, I still had a pile of jalapenos looking at me and I still needed to make dinner. Fortunately for me, my husband gifted himself with a pretty cool Weber grill. He made jerked chicken and pork. I just had to make a side. POPPERS it is! Who doesn’t love the wonderful blend of heat and creamy cheese that are Jalapeno Poppers?!
The recipe below makes some delicious poppers. If you want to go even healthier, use Neufchatel cream cheese (or refried beans) and a low fat cheddar. You can also use skim milk and egg whites. And, toasting a few slices of lite bread and crushing them will reduce a few calories as well and still have lots of flavor.
Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 10 jalapeno peppers Large and firm
Filling
- 5 ounces finely shredded cheddar extra sharp is best
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 TBSP chopped cilantro
Coating
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 TBSP milk or half and half or cream
- 1 cup finely crushed bread crumbs I prefer the Italian seasoned version
- 1 tsp salt
Dipping Sauce
- 2/3 c sour cream
- 1 small lime both the zest and juice
Instructions
- 1. In a saucepan of boiling water, gently boil the jalapenos, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.2. Remove from saucepan and plunge in ice water. Leave in ice water to cool.3. Drain on paper toweling.
- 1. Mix together the 5 filling ingredients. Place in a Ziplock style bag. Set aside.
- 1. Place the flour in a bowl. Set aside.2. Whisk the egg and milk in another bowl. Set aside.3. Toss the crumbs and salt in a third bowl. Set aside.
- 1. Slit a side of the jalapeños and remove seeds and veins. It is helpful to have a pair of slender scissors to snip the top of the seeds to separate from the stem. Rinse and drain the insides.2. Snip a corner off the bag with the cheese mixture and fill the peppers by squeezing into the slit until full. Press the pepper shut. If there is a small seam of cheese, it is ok.
- 1. If the peppers dried, slightly dampen them. Roll each pepper in flour, then egg/milk, then crumbs (really press the crumbs on, you want a good coating). Place on a plate as they are finished.2. Spray exposed top and sides lightly with cooking spray. Turn over and spray the other side.
- 1. While air frying, mix together the sour cream and lime juice/zest for a great dipping sauce.
- 1. Remove air fryer basked and spray with cooking oil. (Unless your fryer indicates not to.) Replace the basket and preheat at 375 for 5 minutes.2. Place five in your fryer basket seam side down. This is counterintuitive but do it.3. Set your timer for 10 minutes.4. After 3 to 4 minutes (before the cheese melts enough to start running out) turn the poppers so the slits are facing up. Finish cooking the full 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining peppers.