Description
Creamy, cheesy, and packed with bold flavor, this Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole combines tender chicken, crispy bacon, rotini pasta, jalapeños, cream cheese, and melted Cheddar Jack for an irresistible family dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 16 ounces rotini pasta
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups Mexican Cheddar Jack shredded cheese, divided
- 6 jalapeño peppers, deseeded and diced
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- Extra jalapeño slices for topping, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 12 x 9-inch casserole dish.
- Cook the rotini pasta according to package directions until just tender. Drain well.
- While the pasta cooks, cut the chicken and bacon into bite-size pieces.
- Cook the chicken and bacon together in a large skillet until the chicken is cooked through and the bacon is crispy.
- Transfer the chicken and bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess grease. Reserve some bacon for topping if desired.
- Dice the jalapeños and thinly slice the green onions.
- In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, milk, 1½ cups Cheddar Jack cheese, diced jalapeños, and most of the green onions. Mix until well combined.
- Add the drained pasta to the prepared casserole dish. Stir in the cooked chicken and bacon.
- Spoon the cream cheese and jalapeño mixture over the pasta and gently stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup cheese over the top.
- Garnish with reserved bacon, green onions, and jalapeño slices if desired.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until hot, creamy, and the cheese is melted.
- Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Remove the jalapeño seeds and membranes for a milder casserole.
- For extra heat, leave some jalapeño membranes intact or use Pepper Jack cheese.
- Cook the pasta just until al dente because it continues cooking in the oven.
- Room-temperature cream cheese blends more smoothly into the sauce.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
- Add a small splash of milk when reheating if the sauce becomes too thick.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 of casserole
- Calories: 780 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1350 mg
- Fat: 50 g
- Saturated Fat: 25 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 135 mg