Smoked chicken breasts are good all on their own, however, if you want to try something different and really, really good, stuff them with a mixture of cream cheese and diced jalapeño wrapped in bacon to hold it all together. I've been making variations of these for ages, but I hear they are now called chicken bombs in some circles. Regardless of what you name them, it's a recipe designed to please everyone!

Helpful Information
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Brine Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 1.5 hours
  • Smoker Temp: 240°F
  • Meat Finish Temp: 165°F
  • Recommended Wood: Pecan
What You'll Need
Please note that my rubs and barbecue sauce are now available in 2 formats– you can purchase the formulas and make them yourself OR you can buy them already made, in a bottle, ready to use.

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Step 1: Brine (optional)

I always recommend brining chicken and, all poultry as far as that goes, but just know that if you are short on time or decide to make this recipe at the spur of the moment, it will not ruin the recipe if you skip brining it.

Brining adds moisture and flavor to the inside of the meat to help ensure that it ends up as juicy, tender and flavorful as it can be.

To brine the chicken breasts make a solution of:

  • 1 quart of cold water
  • ¼ cup of coarse kosher salt
  • ¼ cup of brown sugar

Stir well until everything is dissolved.

Place the chicken breasts into a zip top bag or other plastic or glass container and pour the brine over the chicken to cover. Place in the fridge for about 2 hours to brine.

Once the brining is complete, remove the chicken from the brine and rinse well under cold water. Pat dry and set aside.

Step 2: Make the Cream Cheese/Jalapeño Mixture

This step can be completed while the chicken is brining (if you opt to brine).

Leave the cream cheese out on the table for about an hour to soften.

Place a block of cream cheese or about 8 oz into a small to medium sized mixing bowl.

Deseed, clean and dice 2-3 jalapeño peppers, depending on how well you like jalapeño and how spicy the jalapeños are.

2015-IMG_7930

I usually taste of a little piece to get a feel for the heat level of the peppers (they tend to vary greatly).

Tip: soak the cleaned, deseeded peppers in a bowl of sprite to remove some of the heat. The longer you soak them, the more mild they will become. I usually start with about an hour and go from there.

Put the diced peppers into the bowl with the cream cheese and stir to combine.

2015-IMG_7934 2015-IMG_7936

Step 3: Season and Stuff the Chicken Breasts

Brush a little olive oil onto the chicken breasts, then season the top side with Jeff's original rub* .

*Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled rub

2015-IMG_7939

Add a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese/jalapeno mixture on top of the rub. Spread the rub over half of the chicken breast.

2015-IMG_7942

Fold the chicken over on top of itself. To make it easier to fold, you can make a shallow cut at about the halfway point of the chicken breast widthwise.

2015-IMG_7944

Once the chicken is folded coat the entire outside of the chicken breast with a little olive oil and season generously with Jeff's original rub*.

*Purchase formula here | Purchase bottled rub

2015-IMG_7947

Step 4: Wrap with Bacon

Lay 2 thin slices of bacon across the stuffed chicken breast.

2015-IMG_7949

Lift the chicken up and hold it with one hand while you wrap the bacon “artistically” around the chicken.

2015-IMG_7951

It can be as “purdy” or haphazard as you like.. no one's judging the wrap 😉

Step 5: Smoke Cook the Chicken

Place the stuffed chicken on a Bradley rack, Weber grill pan, cooling rack or something similar to make it easy to carry them out to the smoker.

2015-IMG_7955

Set up your smoker for cooking with indirect heat at around 240°F if possible.

If your smoker has a water pan, it's a good idea to use it.

I used pecan but you can use any smoking wood that you desire and have available.

Once the smoker is ready, place the stuffed chicken directly on the smoker grate and insert a probe from a digital probe meat thermometer (if you have one) so you will know the exact time it is finished. I use the Smoke by ThermoWorks most often because it works so well and because it has excellent range (more than 300 feet).

You can also use a super fast meat thermometer such as the Thermapen but this requires you to open the door several times and you stand the chance of overcooking the chicken if it happens to get done sooner than you expect.

It should take around 1.5 hours to finish cooking and I recommend applying smoke for at least an hour.

Step 6: Serve

When the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for a couple of minutes before serving.

2015-IMG_7962 2015-IMG_7976

Please note that my rubs and barbecue sauce are now available in 2 formats– you can purchase the formulas and make them yourself OR you can buy them already made, in a bottle, ready to use.

Don't Miss This Special Deal on the Rub/Sauce Recipes (Formulas)

CLICK HERE to get a whopping 25% off when you order the recipes for Jeff's rubs and barbecue sauce! Great Deal!

Purchase the Formulas for Jeff's Rub and Sauce
**Instant Download!**
Jeff's Original Rub Recipe
Jeff's Barbecue Sauce

***Note: you get the Texas style rub recipe free with your order!

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Love the sauce and rub recipes. So far I have used them on beef ribs, pork ribs, and different chicken parts. Can't wait to do a beef brisket. Texas rub is great as well!  -Peter S.

Love the original rib rub and sauce! We have an annual rib fest competition at the lake every 4th of July. I will say we have won a great percent of the time over the past 15 years so we are not novices by any means. However, we didn't win last year and had to step up our game! We used Jeff's rub and sauce (sauce on the side) and it was a landslide win for us this year! Thanks Jeff for the great recipes. I'm looking forward to trying the Texas style rub in the near future!  -Michelle M.

I tried the rub on a beef brisket and some beef ribs the other day and our entire family enjoyed it tremendously. I also made a batch of the barbeque sauce that we used on the brisket as well as some chicken. We all agreed it was the best sauce we have had in a while.  -Darwyn B.

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Printable Recipe

5 from 3 votes
Print
Cream Cheese & Jalapeño Stuffed Chicken Breast
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
 
Smoked chicken breasts are good all on their own however, if you want to try something different and really, really good, stuff them with a mixture of cream cheese and diced jalapeño wrapped in bacon to hold it all together, add a lot of great flavor and to keep the meat moist in the absence of the skin.
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Hot Smoking
Servings: 4 -6
Author: Jeff Phillips
What You'll Need
  • 4-6 chicken breasts
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 3 jalapeños
  • 2 slices of thin bacon per piece of chicken
  • Jeff's original rub recipe
Instructions
Step 1: Brine (optional)
  1. To brine the chicken breasts make a solution of: 1 quart of cold water, ¼ cup of coarse kosher salt and ¼ cup of brown sugar.
  2. Stir well until everything is dissolved.
  3. Place the chicken breasts into a zip top bag or other plastic or glass container and pour the brine over the chicken to cover. Place in the fridge for about 2 hours to brine.
  4. Once the brining is complete, remove the chicken from the brine and rinse well under cold water. Pat dry and set aside.
Step 2: Make the Cream Cheese/Jalapeño Mixture
  1. Leave the cream cheese out on the table for about an hour to soften.
  2. Place a block of cream cheese or about 8 oz into a small to medium sized mixing bowl.
  3. Deseed, clean and dice 2-3 jalapeño peppers depending on how well you like jalapeño and how spicy the jalapeños are.
  4. Put the diced peppers into the bowl with the cream cheese and stir to combine.
Step 3: Season and Stuff the Chicken Breasts
  1. Brush a little olive oil onto the chicken breasts then season the top side with Jeff's original rub.
  2. Add a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese/jalapeno mixture on top of the rub.
  3. Fold the chicken over on top of itself. To make it easier to fold, you can make a shallow cut at about the halfway point of the chicken breast widthwise.
  4. Once the chicken is folded coat the entire outside of the chicken breast with a little olive oil and season generously with Jeff's original rub.
Step 4: Wrap with Bacon
  1. Lay 2 thin slices of bacon across the stuffed chicken breast.
  2. Lift the chicken up and hold it with one hand while you wrap the bacon "artistically" around the chicken.
Step 5: Smoke Cook the Chicken
  1. Place the stuffed chicken on a Bradley rack, cookie sheet or something similar to make it easy to carry them out to the smoker.
  2. Set up your smoker for cooking with indirect heat at around 240°F if possible.
  3. If your smoker has a water pan, it's a good idea to use it.
  4. I used pecan but you can use any smoking wood that you desire and have available.
  5. Once the smoker is ready, place the stuffed chicken directly on the smoker grate and insert a probe from a digital probe meat thermometer (if you have one) so you will know the exact time it is finished.
  6. You can also use a super fast meat thermometer such as the Thermapen but this requires you to open the door several times and you stand the chance of overcooking the chicken if it happens to get done sooner than you expect.
Step 6: Serve
  1. When the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the smoker and let it rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
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