Double-Breaded Jalapeño Poppers with Sharp Cheddar & Scallion

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The bar-snack benchmark, engineered so the cheese stays inside where it belongs. Jalapeño halves are stuffed with a firm cheddar–cream cheese filling, chilled hard, then given two full passes through flour, egg and panko so the crust seals shut in the fryer. They come out shatteringly crisp, molten in the middle, and hot enough to burn your fingers — which is the point. A smoky lime dipping sauce cuts the richness.

Ingredients

• 12 large jalapeños (about 1 lb), firm and straight-sided
• 8 oz full-fat block cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 oz sharp cheddar, grated on the small holes of a box grater
• 2 oz low-moisture mozzarella, grated
• 3 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tbsp whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs

• 6 cups neutral oil, such as peanut or canola, for frying
• flaky salt, for finishing

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp chipotle in adobo, minced, plus 1 tsp of the sauce
• 1/4 tsp honey
• kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Make the dipping sauce first so it can sit: whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, minced chipotle, adobo sauce and honey together in a small bowl. Season with a pinch of salt, cover and refrigerate.
2. Wearing gloves if you have them, slice each jalapeño in half lengthwise straight through the stem, leaving the stem halves attached — they act as handles. Scrape out every seed and all of the white pith with a small spoon or a melon baller. Rinse the halves, then dry them completely inside and out with paper towels; any moisture will steam the crust from within.
3. Beat the cream cheese with a spatula until smooth, then fold in the cheddar, mozzarella, scallions, garlic, smoked paprika, onion powder, 3/4 tsp salt and the black pepper. The filling should be stiff, not spreadable-soft.
4. Fill each pepper half, pressing the cheese in firmly so there are no air pockets, then level the top flush with the cut edge of the pepper. Do not mound it — overfilled poppers blow out. Arrange them filling-up on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze for 30 minutes, until the cheese is firm to the touch.
5. Set up three shallow dishes: flour whisked with 1 tsp salt and the garlic powder; eggs beaten with the milk; and the panko. Line a second sheet pan with parchment.
6. Bread each popper twice. Roll it in flour and tap off the excess, dip in egg letting the extra drip away, then press into the panko, packing crumbs firmly over the cheese. Return it to the egg, then to the panko a second time, pressing hard so the coating fully seals the open face. Set on the lined pan.
7. Freeze the breaded poppers for at least 20 minutes (up to 1 month in a bag). This step is what keeps the cheese in the pepper instead of in the oil.
8. Pour the oil into a heavy Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 inches and heat over medium to 350°F on a thermometer. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan nearby.
9. Fry 4 or 5 poppers at a time, cheese-side up first, for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and crackly. Keep the oil between 340°F and 360°F, adjusting the burner between batches, and lift any popper out immediately if you see cheese starting to seep.
10. Drain on the rack, shower with flaky salt while the crust is still glistening, and rest 3 minutes — the filling is molten. Serve hot with the chipotle-lime sauce.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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