Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Recipe

All the flavor of a bacon-wrapped jalapeño popper in a grilled cheese sandwich.

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated June 06, 2024
A grilled jalapeño popper cheese sandwich, cut in half on the diagonal and shingled on a cutting board.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Cooking the sandwich in the same skillet you use to fry bacon cuts down on dishes.
  • Browning one side of each slice of bread before assembling the sandwich with those sides faced inward doubles the crunch and toasty brown butter flavor.
  • Using a combination of butter and bacon drippings to brown the exterior of each sandwich adds more smoky bacon flavor to each bite.

There's not much to tell you about this sandwich that isn't already explained in the title. It's got roasted jalapeño. It's got cheddar or American cheese. It's got cream cheese. It's also got some bacon because bacon, right? The whole thing gets toasted until hot, crisp, and gooey in a mix of butter and rendered bacon fat. It gets eaten fast.

Things I've discovered over the course of writing many grilled cheese recipes for Serious Eats:

  • Want to know a quick and easy way to generate over 100 comments in a few days, all of which basically argue around in circles? Write about grilled cheese. Everybody's got an opinion, most of them valid.
  • Apparently, there is a subset of Americans that are as closed-minded about their grilled cheese sandwiches as a subset of Italians are about everything related to their food. I did not know this subset existed (the former, not the latter).
  • Arguments about nomenclature can be simultaneously mind-numbingly frustrating and hilariously entertaining.

That's about it. No value judgments here. Please continue to discuss whether or not the item pictured above is really a grilled cheese sandwich or not. I will continue to maintain that whatever you call it, it's delicious.

Carry on.

April 2013

Recipe Details

Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 30 mins
Active 25 mins
Resting Time 5 mins
Total 40 mins
Serves 1 serving
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 2 jalapeño peppers

  • 2 slices bacon, sliced in half crosswise

  • 2 slices hearty white bread, such as Pepperidge Farm or Arnold

  • 2 teaspoons butter

  • 2 ounces cream cheese, softened

  • 2 slices American or cheddar cheese

  • Kosher salt

Directions

  1. Place jalapeño peppers directly over a gas burner, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Alternatively, place under a preheated broiler as close as possible to the heat source, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer charred jalapeños to a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap tightly to seal. Let rest 5 minutes.

  2. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet and cook over medium-low heat, turning occasionally, until crisp all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and bacon fat to a small bowl.

  3. Unwrap jalapeños. Peel skin and discard. Remove stems and seeds. Split each pepper in half lengthwise.

  4. Wipe out skillet and return to medium heat. Melt butter until foaming subsides. Add both bread slices and cook, swirling occasionally, until pale golden brown on bottom side, about 2 minutes.

  5. Transfer to a cutting board toasted-side-up. Place cheese slice on top of one slice, followed by bacon slices and jalapeño peppers. Place cheese slice on top of other slice of bread and spread cream cheese over it. Close sandwich.

  6. Add half of reserved bacon fat to skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Add sandwich and cook, swirling occasionally, until deep, even golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove sandwich using a flexible metal spatula. Add the remaining bacon fat. Return sandwich to skillet cooked-side up. Season with salt. Cook, swirling occasionally, until second side is deep, even golden brown and cheese is thoroughly melted, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Large nonstick or cast iron skillet

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
770Calories
56gFat
38gCarbs
30gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories770
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 56g72%
Saturated Fat 30g151%
Cholesterol 156mg52%
Sodium 1353mg59%
Total Carbohydrate 38g14%
Dietary Fiber 3g11%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 17mg83%
Calcium 563mg43%
Iron 3mg16%
Potassium 403mg9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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