Baked Jalapeño Popper Pinwheels

Name: Baked Jalapeno Popper Pinwheels
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 sheet puff pastry ((thawed using package instructions)); 4 ounces (½ block) cream cheese, softened to room temperature; ⅓ cup diced pickled jalapeños; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon seasoned salt; 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning ((optional)); ¼ teaspoon chili powder ((optional)); 1 cup shredded or diced cooked chicken; 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese ((divided use)); ⅓ cup cooked, chopped bacon; pickled jalapeno slices ((for topping, optional))

PIN RECIPE RECIPE CARD EMAIL RECIPE

Baked Jalapeño Popper Pinwheels are a warm and filling appetizer or snack made with chicken, crispy bacon, cream cheese and melted cheese all wrapped in a flaky puff pastry!

A FLAVORFUL PARTY APPETIZER

If you love the flavor combination of Jalapeno Poppers and love the ease of making pinwheels for an appetizer, you’re going to love these Baked Jalapeno Popper Pinwheels. I couldn’t get enough of these baked pinwheels when I made them. They were eaten up before I even had a chance to clean up – ha! This time of year when it is cold out, we love a good warm appetizer and these fit the bill for all you jalapeño popper lovers! You can whip up a batch of these in only 35 minutes and this recipe is super simple to double if you’re expecting to feed a crowd. And they don’t have to just be an appetizer, you can make a whole meal out of these too!

A small pile of Baked Jalapeno Popper Pinwheels on a serving platter.

These were so good & a nice change from the usual. Everyone really enjoyed them!
– Janelle

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Are these spicy?

These can have a bit of a kick to them, but you can alter the heat easily. If you do not want the spice of the jalapeños, you can use a can green chiles instead.

Why did my puff pastry tear?

Usually this will happen if you’re trying to spread the cream cheese when it’s still too hard to spread. It really needs to be softened cream cheese so it will spread without messing with the pastry. This can also happen if you overfill or overwork the pastry, making it too thin, before baking.

Is chicken a must?

Nope! While I like the chicken for a nice pop of protein, texture, and flavor, you can leave the chicken out.

What can I dip these in?

If you’re like me and you are allll about the dip, you’ll probably think these pinwheels are perfect dipped in some ranch dressing!

How do I store leftover Baked Pinwheels?

These leftover pinwheels will keep in a bag or airtight container for 3 days and should be kept in the fridge. Reheat in the oven or an air fryer to retain that crispiness.

A large platter of Baked Jalapeño Popper Pinwheels.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

sheet of puff pastry dough– You can use either frozen puff pastry or the refrigerated puff pastry that you can find by the refrigerated canned biscuits. If using the frozen pastries, they typically come in a box of two to the package, so that’s a great reason to double this recipe (or make some Pepperoni Pinwheels with the other sheet). Also know that the frozen ones usually have a seam where they’re folded while frozen and the refrigerated dough usually doesn’t since it’s just rolled up like pie dough. So it may require a few extra minutes to smooth things out.
cream cheese– softened to room temperature. Grab my set of Tips for Softening Cream Cheese Quickly if you need them.
diced pickled jalapeños – I love to get the tamed jalapeños (not a paid affiliate link). These have significantly less kick to them and are better for my heartburn – ha!
garlic powder
onion powder
seasoned salt
poultry seasoning – this is an optional but flavorful ingredient. I took a chance with it and we all ended up enjoying the flavor but don’t go out and buy it just for this recipe.
chili powder – another optional ingredient that packs some flavor. I love the seasoning on these when I include these two optional ingredients, but you can easily adjust the amount of these seasonings to your liking.
shredded cooked chicken – this is a great recipe to use leftover chicken in from other recipes. Additionally, rotisserie chicken also works very nicely in these pinwheels.
shredded cheddar cheese
cooked chopped bacon – you can use real bacon pieces for this to cut down on the prep time.

Puff pastry, jalapenos, cheese, cream cheese, cooked chicken, bacon, and spices.

HOW TO MAKE BAKED JALAPEÑO POPPER PINWHEELS

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll the sheet of puff pastry on a flat surface. Make sure any seams are pinched close. Set aside.In a medium-sized bowl, mix together cream cheese, jalapenos, onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt, poultry seasoning, and chili powder. Mix in the chicken and 1 cup cheese until the mixture is fairly smooth.

A bowl with a cream cheese mixture and then cheese and chicken being added to the cream cheese mixture.

Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the puff pastry sheet, leaving a ½ inch border on the sides. Sprinkle the bacon over the cream cheese mixture.

Cream cheese mixture being spread over a sheet of puff pastry and crumbled bacon being added to the mix.

Roll the sheet into a log (length-side). Note: At this point it may be easiest to pop the log into the freezer so help it firm up a bit and make it easier to cut (about 10 minutes.) Using a serrated knife, cut the log into 12 even pieces. Place each piece on a lined baking sheet then sprinkle each piece with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese and a jalapeno slice (optional).