- January 11, 2025
- Main Dishes
Chicken Bacon Ranch Jalapeño Poppers
Chicken Bacon Ranch Jalapeño Poppers are the ultimate bite-sized indulgence, featuring spicy jalapeños stuffed with creamy ranch-seasoned chicken, crispy bacon, and melted cheese. Perfectly baked or grilled, they deliver a bold and savory flavor explosion in every bite.
Why This Recipe Works
Flavor Perfection: The classic combination of ranch with cream cheese creates an incredibly creamy, herb-filled base that perfectly balances the heat from the jalapeños. Dill and parsley bring that unmistakable ranch flavor that makes these bright and flavorful, too! Whether you’re hosting game day, planning a backyard BBQ, or just craving something extraordinary, this chicken bacon ranch jalapeño poppers recipe delivers big flavors every time!
Crowd-Pleasing: These poppers strike the perfect balance between heat and flavor, making them ideal for sharing with a crowd. The smoking process mellows the jalapeños’ heat and brings out their natural sweetness, creating an appetizer that appeals to everyone! Plus, you can prepare these poppers in advance and pop them in the smoker just before you’re ready to serve them.
Supplies Needed
- Smoker
- Mixing bowl
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Toothpicks
Ingredients
- Jalapeños: Choose firm, bright green peppers of similar size for even cooking
- Bacon: Slice the bacon pieces in half to wrap each jalapeno popper with half a piece of bacon!
- Cream Cheese: Make sure it is softened to room temperature so that is mixes well with the other ingredients.
- Shredded Chicken: You can use shredded rotisserie chicken here, or prep some chicken breasts before making this recipe!
- Ranch Dressing: Ranch dressing infuses a savory yet tangy flavor into the chicken bacon ranch jalapeno poppers that makes them seriously irresistible!
- Cheddar Cheese: For an added layer of creamy, cheesy flavor.
- Seasonings: You will need a garlic powder, dried dill, dried parsley, black pepper, and salt to season up the cream cheese chicken mixture!
Preparation
- Preheat: Set your smoker to 250°F and add your preferred wood chips or chunks.
- Prep the Peppers: Slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and membranes, and set aside.
- Mix Filling: In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, garlic powder, dill, parsley, black pepper, and salt until fully combined.
- Fill the Jalapeños: Fill each jalapeño half with the chicken and cheese mixture, packing it firmly but not overfilling.
- Wrap with Bacon: Wrap a half-slice of bacon around each stuffed jalapeño half, securing it with a toothpick if necessary to keep it in place.
- Smoke: Place the jalapeño poppers in the smoker. Smoke for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the jalapeños are tender and the bacon is fully cooked and slightly crispy. Rotate the poppers halfway through for even cooking if needed.
- Serve: Allow the poppers to cool slightly before serving. Serve as-is or with ranch dressing or another dipping sauce on the side.
Tips For Smoking
- Place poppers upright to prevent the filling from melting out during the smoking process. Carefully arrange them so they’re nestled against each other or a grill grate for support.
- If the bacon isn’t crisping enough, increase the grill temperature to 400°F for 5-10 minutes to crisp up. This will give you a crispy bacon wrap while maintaining all the smoky goodness from the low and slow cooking.
- For extra smoke flavor, let the poppers rest in the smoker for 10 minutes after turning it off with the door closed. This allows the smoke to continue penetrating the poppers while they cool slightly!
- Rotate your bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers halfway through for even cooking! This is especially important if your smoker has any hot spots or if you’re cooking a large batch at once.
What To Serve With It
You can serve your bacon wrapped chicken jalapeno poppers on their own or with a side of ranch for dipping! They would go well as a side dish to main dishes like a flat iron steak or oven baked BBQ chicken.
When serving them as an appetizer, I like to serve them with a spread of other appetizers like my smoked BLT dip, grilled esquites and smoked sausage burnt ends!
If you love jalapeño poppers like me, don’t forget to try my Mexican street corn jalapeño poppers, too!
More Recipes To Try
- Bacon Wrapped Delicata Squash
- Bison Meatballs
- Grilled Thai Curry Chicken Wings
- Grilled Cheese Sliders with Bruschetta
- Smoked Deviled Eggs
Chicken Bacon Ranch Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients
- 12 Jalapenos halved and seeds removed
- 12 slices Bacon cut in half
- 4 oz Cream Cheese softened
- 1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Dried Dill
- 2 tsp Dried Parsley
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Set your smoker to 250°F and add your preferred wood chips or chunks.
- Slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and membranes, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, garlic powder, dill, parsley, black pepper, and salt until fully combined.
- Fill each jalapeño half with the chicken and cheese mixture, packing it firmly but not overfilling.
- Wrap a half-slice of bacon around each stuffed jalapeño half, securing it with a toothpick if necessary to keep it in place.
- Place the jalapeño poppers in the smoker. Smoke for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the jalapeños are tender and the bacon is fully cooked and slightly crispy. Rotate the poppers halfway through for even cooking if needed.
- Allow the poppers to cool slightly before serving. Serve as-is or with ranch dressing or another dipping sauce on the side.