Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breast

This quick and easy air fryer stuffed chicken breast wrapped with bacon and a cream cheese center are amazing for dinner! Make this spicy or mild Ninja Foodi chicken breast or any other brand tonight and enjoy! 

Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken

Ok so I am obsessed with making all the Ninja Foodi recipes at the moment. I do have 2 other electric air fryers though, and any brand will do. 😉 Honestly I rotate according to whichever is clean or happens to be on my countertop at the time. With this brand you will use the lid that is not attached, and the air crisp button with directions below.

This one has a lot of variations to it. If you want to make it as directed with a stuffed roasted jalapenos and cream cheese it is out of this world delicious. I wouldn’t say it is way too hot if you remove all the seeds but there are also milder varieties you could choose.

Air Fryer Stuffed Chicken Breast Wrapped in Bacon

You really could use thighs if they were rather large boneless if you wanted to. The thinner your pieces whether white or dark meat the faster it will cook thru. I suggest regular slices of pork and not thick as those don’t crisp as well and are hard to wrap and stay in place.

Ingredients

1. Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2. Cream cheese
3. Bacon – I prefer that they’re NOT thick slices
4. Cheese
5. Jalapenos 
6. Seasoning
7. Meat tenderizer
8. Plastic wrap
9. Toothpicks may be needed to secure bacon

Cooked in the air fryer basket of your machine the cooking time is short at just 20 minutes! Of course always use a meat thermometer and remove toothpicks before putting dinner on the table. I’m telling you, golden brown air fried chicken is the bomb!

How do you tenderize chicken breast without a mallet?

• You just use a sharp knife to butterfly the chicken breasts in half lengthwise
• Put it flat in between plastic wrap
• If you don’t have a meat mallet you can;
  • Roll over with a rolling pin
  • Hit it with the back of a saucepan or cast iron skillet
  • Roll on top with a can of tomatoes
  • Smash inside a cookbook or tortilla press
  • hit with the back of a cast iron pan to hit it so it’s flatter
• This helps make the meat more tender, you’ll get juicy chicken every time

Then you’re going to season your meat with salt and pepper. Now mix your room temperature cream cheese, cheese and cumin in a bowl until smooth. Jalapenos need to be prepared at this time. It is the same process as preparing stuffed jalapenos, but this time you’re going to use the whole thing and put it inside your chicken.

Should you seed jalapenos?

That depends on how spicy you want them to be. Generally smaller and brighter peppers are hotter. You need to decide if you want the seeds or not, meaning how much heat are you prepared for? The seeds and inner membranes hold the most heat so the more of those you remove will adjust the heat level down.

Then you should be careful of how much you add. If you want just a hint then dice really fine and use just a bit. If you have dried jalapeno they are already prepared, you just soak in water to rehydrate before adding inside if you would like some heat.

Once you’ve removed all the inners you want you’re going to spoon your cream cheese mixture inside of both halves, then put them back together.  Now slide them into the middle of your flattened chicken breast and roll it up so it is like a little package.

The bacon wrapped outside comes next. I prefer Hickory smoked regular slices as opposed to thick slices. Thicker ones are tough to wrap around well, and sometimes don’t get as crispy. Use toothpicks to secure if necessary. Now it’s time to put your stuffed chicken breasts in the air fryer basket! Do not overlap them for optimal results. 

How Long to Cook Stuffed Chicken in Air Fryer

• You will want to air fry or cook in a preheated machine at 340 degrees for 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness of the breasts.
• When done ensure the inside of the chicken is at 165 degrees for safety.
  • an instant read thermometer is convenient to have for this
• If you want an EXTRA crispy outside spray some olive oil on the top and raise temp. to 400 degrees for the last few minutes.
• Allow them to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing to maintain juiciness.

Other Ninja Foodi Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

Next try our air fryer chicken parm or cook frozen chicken wings in air fryer for a quick meal. Printable instructions to make bacon wrapped stuffed chicken breasts is below.