October 24, 2023
Review RecipeJalapeño Popper Chicken Pasta Casserole
This jalapeño popper chicken pasta casserole is the ultimate comfort food, combining tender pasta, juicy chicken, gooey cheese, and spicy peppers into one amazing meal.
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If you’re in the mood for something cheesy, creamy, and spicy, look no further than this jalapeño popper chicken pasta casserole. The decadent dish is an irresistible combination of tender pasta mixed with chicken, crisp bacon, melted cheese, and so much flavor.
Jalapeño Popper Chicken Pasta Casserole Ingredients
You’ll need:
- 2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup of mayonnaise
- ½ cup of sour cream
- ½ teaspoon of onion powder
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of pepper
- 7.4-ounce jar of diced, pickled jalapeño peppers, drained
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 cups of grated jack cheese, divided in half
- 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese, divided in half
- 1 pound of rotini pasta, cooked and drained
- 3 cups of chopped rotisserie chicken meat
- 3 green onions: white and green parts separated, green parts sliced, and white parts diced
- 1 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Fresh jalapeños for garnish (I used 1 whole)
PRO TIP:
Be sure NOT to use pre-shredded cheeses. They have additives added in the bags to prevent clumping, and they do not melt as well as a block of cheese that you shred yourself.
Substitutions And Additions
SOUR CREAM: Using a combination of sour cream and mayonnaise in the filling gives a nice balance of richness and light creaminess. You can substitute all sour cream if preferred in this easy casserole.
JALAPEÑOS: Using diced, pickled jalapeños is both extremely convenient and also infuses more of that delicious jalapeño flavor into the dish. You can substitute 3 freshly diced jalapeño peppers. Remove the seeds and ribs for a milder dish.
CHICKEN: Rotisserie chicken makes this dish easy to make, but if you have leftover cooked chicken breasts or chicken thighs, you could chop them up and use them instead.
How To Make This Jalapeño Popper Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
Cook the pasta to al dente in boiling, salted water to season the pasta before it goes into the casserole. We will not add additional salt to the casserole itself.
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
STEP TWO: In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and diced jalapeños. Use a hand mixer for quick blending. Continue mixing while gradually adding the milk.
PRO TIP:
Use gloves when handling the jalapeños. Otherwise, the heat from the oils will be left on your skin and can irritate your skin, not to mention if you touch your face or eyes.
STEP THREE: Add 1 cup each of cheddar and jack cheeses and stir to combine.
STEP FOUR: In a large mixing bowl, toss together pasta, chicken, the white part of the green onions, and most of the bacon, reserving about ½ cup to sprinkle over the top.
STEP FIVE: Add the cream cheese mixture to the pasta mixture and stir gently until the mixture is evenly combined.
STEP SIX: Spread the casserole filling into a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
STEP SEVEN: Top with remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle the reserved bacon and fresh jalapeño slices over the cheese.
STEP EIGHT: Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and top with freshly sliced green onion. Serve hot.
PRO TIP:
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your casserole as the suggested baking time approaches.
How To Serve
This casserole is a delicious meal to make for a busy weeknight dinner. Add a side salad such as our tomato cucumber salad or cucumber salad and our dinner rolls to mop up all that gooey and cheesy sauce.
Spicy jalapeños provide a nice spicy kick to any recipe. Make sure to check out our jalapeño popper grilled cheese and our bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers for an added kick to your menu.
MORE CASSEROLE RECIPES
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: Store the jalapeno popper chicken casserole recipe in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
IN THE FREEZER: Store the leftover chicken casserole in the freezer for up to three months.
This jalapeño popper chicken casserole recipe is oozing with cheesy goodness, a creamy sauce, and jalapeño peppers, which add a deliciously spicy kick. It will be a huge hit with the entire family for a quick weeknight dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze this easy jalapeño chicken casserole?
This delicious casserole can be frozen, well-covered, for up to 3 months.
Is this dish really spicy?
This dish does have spice from the jalapeños. You can adjust the spice level of this pasta recipe by removing the seeds and ribbing from the inside of the jalapeños before adding them, as well as adjusting how many peppers you add to the casserole.
Can I use a different pasta shape for this jalapeño popper pasta bake?
Any bite-size pasta shapes would work well in this creamy chicken casserole.
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Jalapeño Popper Chicken Pasta Casserole
This jalapeño popper chicken pasta casserole is the ultimate comfort food, combining tender pasta, juicy chicken, gooey cheese, and spicy peppers into one amazing meal.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 7.4 ounce pickled jalapenos, diced and drained
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups grated jack cheese, divided in half
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided in half
- 1 pound rotini pasta, cooked and drained
- 3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken meat
- 3 green onions, white and green parts separated, green parts sliced, and white parts diced
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Fresh jalapeños, for garnish (I used 1 whole)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and diced jalapeños. Use a hand mixer for quick blending. Continue mixing while gradually adding the milk.
- Add 1 cup each of cheddar and jack cheeses and stir to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss together pasta, chicken, the white part of the green onions, and most of the bacon, reserving about ½ cup to sprinkle over the top.
- Add the cream cheese mixture to the pasta mixture and stir gently until the mixture is evenly combined.
- Spread filling into a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
- Top with remaining cheeses. Sprinkle reserved bacon and fresh jalapeño slices over the cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and top with freshly sliced green onion. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- Be sure NOT to use pre-shredded cheeses. They have additives added in the bags to prevent clumping, and they do not melt as well as a block of cheese that you shred yourself.
- Cook the pasta to al dente in boiling, salted water to season the pasta before it goes into the casserole. We will not add additional salt to the casserole itself.
- Use gloves when handling the jalapeños. Otherwise, heat from the oils will be left on your skin and can irritate your skin, not to mention if you touch your face or eyes.
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your casserole as the suggested baking time approaches.
Nutrition
Calories: 1047kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 71g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 1779mg | Potassium: 691mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1756IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 506mg | Iron: 2mg
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Comments
Gini Johnson says
can you use fresh jalapenos instead?
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Gini – we like the flavor the pickled jalapenos give in the dish, but you could probably swap out for all fresh. I’m not sure how that would impact the heat level as we haven’t tried it. Enjoy!
Deborah Gillis says
I used fresh peppers and loved the crunchness of them but it’s still burning my mouth. LOL! And yes I did take out the seeds. Thank you for the recipe.