Jalapeno fans will love this Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole. It’s super creamy and in addition to bacon and chicken it also has pasta and plenty of cheese, both Cheddar and Monterey Jack.
So it’s really like a kicked-up mac and cheese. For grown-ups.
Or Jalapeno loving kids.
I know there are a few of those out there. I think spicy, cheesy food is the best. But you really can tone back the jalapeno and you’re left with a super creamy chicken casserole.
The creaminess comes from Challenge Cream Cheese. It’s a super high-quality cream cheese and I love to use it in everything from cheesecakes to dips. Made with real milk, cream, and natural ingredients, Challenge Cream Cheese is totally smooth and silky in texture and it really gives whatever you use it in a superior taste. It’s all about quality ingredients.
I use rotisserie chicken for convenience and penne for the pasta, but you can really use any pasta shape.
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole is perfect comfort food for fall weather.
Watch the short video below to see how to make Jalapeno Popper Casserole.
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon Challenge butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 6 ounces Challenge cream cheese, softened, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 jalapenos, 2 diced and 1 sliced
- 2 1/2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 8 ounces penne pasta, cooked
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Cook bacon in a large nonstick pan. Crumble bacon and set aside.
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Add onion to bacon grease and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
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Add butter to pan. When melted, sprinkle flour into pan. Stir and cook 1 minute.
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Gradually whisk in chicken broth and milk.
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Add cream cheese and stir until melted.
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Remove pan from heat and stir in half of Monterey Jack cheese and half of cheddar cheese until smooth.
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Stir in diced jalapeno, chicken, pasta, and half of bacon.
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Pour into a greased casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
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Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining bacon, cheese and the sliced jalapeno.
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Return to oven and bake 10 more minutes.
You can use fresh or canned jalapeno. I actually like to use 1 fresh jalapeno and 1 canned jalepeno for the diced jalapeno.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I appreciate the opportunity to share products I love and use in my own kitchen.
Really good but a bit heavy. Perfect for a potluck!
Made this for dinner tonight and we liked it a lot. As a swap I used turkey breast instead of chicken as I had a monstrous amount of leftovers after Thanksgiving and we needed something different. We’ve eaten a lot of turkey recently.
I added red peppers and spinach to this, used a rotisserie chicken. It’s SO GOOD!!!
Made this delicious casserole – thank you for a great recipe. Only change I made was double the jalapenos to 6 because we love them.
I had some left over chicken to use up and had a guest over, so this was great to throw together for a filling meal!
I made this with minor modifications and it turned out great!
– Used 2 left over baked breaded chicken thighs. Skin peeled off, Diced/shredded.
-Used some cooked, then frozen bacon I always keep on hand.
– Didn’t have fresh or canned jalapenos, but did have jalapeno powder. Used about 1 T of it, Wasn’t enough- jalapenos as the recipe calls for would have been much better!
-Used cheese I had on hand, combo of colby jack, cheddar jack, and motz. About 1 1/2 cups IN the sauce, then sprinkling on top of sauce.
-Added crushed ritz crackers and melted butter to the top as another reader suggested! I like a bit of crunch on my casseroles.
I cooked everything (except the noodles) in a stainless steel skillet w/ stainless handles, then added cooked noodles and put it right into the oven. Much less cleanup!
I had enough that I scooped some of the sauce/chicken/noodle mixture into an 8″ round pan and froze it. I think it should be fine froze! I’ll add the cracker crumbs when i cook it!
It turned out really good, not quite enough spice- but that’s completely my fault for not having the correct ingredients on hand! Yum!
I am super excited to try this delicious looking recipe. I have some homegrown jalapeño’s that I want to use in recipes. and this looks amazing. My husband will live this. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Tried it and it turned out great! Of course it’s a little heavy with all of the pasta and dairy, but it is definitely delicious! Not something I will cook too often because I just try to eat dairy and pasta moderately as well as my family, but it is definitely in my recipe book and will definitely cook again.
I love this recipe! With mine i add crushed ritz cracker with melted butter on top. My family Loves this casserole.
I made this recipe for my family tonight and I was delicious! The shredded chicken seemed a little out of place, I would probably serve with grilled chicken or none at all. I added salt for a little extra flavor. I would definitely make it again, but probably make a few little tweaks to my liking. Thanks for sharing!!
Awesome! I made this tonight adapting it to our LCHF (keto) lifestyle.. amazing! Super easy, wicked flavorful! Thanks so much for the inspiration! 👍😉
How did you adapt it.? I just started LCHF..
My family LOVES kick–we’ve added 2-3 habaneros along with the jalapenos’… We are looking forward to playing with chipotle’s with this recipe!
I love chipotle’s. Bet it would be great with that smoky flavor!
This was amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Made this on Saturday. Followed the recipe to a t, and WOW. Absolutely delicious. I will definitely make again. However, I will make 2 changes. More bacon and more jalapenos. Though it was excellent, I just want it a tad spicier 🙂
has anyone had what looks like mold appear in this dish? Straight out of the oven and I scooped it into my plate and it looks like it is full of green mold spots
Did you overcook the jalapeno until it turned to mush?
Hi Christin, I’m new to your blog…I made this casserole this evening, and I LOVED IT! SO AMAZING!!! My husband also thought it was the bomb. This will be a regular in our rotation. Thanks so much for sharing.
Can’t wait to eat leftovers tomorrow. =D
And I can’t wait to make it again next week. And next month. And pretty much forever!
-andi
People are terrible and can’t say anything nice I can’t wait to try this and I might make it hotter than two peppers.
This looks amazing!!! Could I make this in a crockpot? If so, any suggestions on how long to leave it in for?
I haven’t made this in the crock pot Brittany so I am not really sure how it would turn out. Sorry!
Do you have the new crockpot casserole cooker? It worked great! Look up “coking pasta” in a crockpot and adjust your recipe—OR use precooked pasta and cooked chicken–the rotisserie chicken had phenomenal flavor but I would assume any well marinaded baked chicken would be great–Montreal beef seasoning on chicken is my family’s favorite! Add crisped bacon prior to serving or it’ll be soggy!!
YUM! This looks comforting and crave-worthy — perfect for the cold weather!
Can you make this ahead, and cook it when you get home from work?
I think that would work fine Lynne.
We loved this and I even used GF pasta, which is not always great tasting. Worked in this and my kids didn’t even notice! Thanks for sharing 🙂
So glad you loved it Amy! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
I made this for lunch today and it was a total hit. Quick and easy with bangs of Flavor!!
Oh my word — my husband would be in Heaven if I made him this! He loves all things cheesy and spicy!
A kicked up mac ‘n cheese sounds perfect for a Monday! Love the jalapeno flavor in here, Christin! Sounds so good for dinner!
What is the oven temp?
I made this for dinner last night and my whole family loved it. So delicious! I had everything on hand except the jalapenos, so I used about a tablespoon of canned diced jalapenos I had. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks!
This is one of the best casseroles ever — brilliant idea, Christin!
Boom! This recipe is the bomb! Thanks for sharing!
This Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole recipe is a great idea specially for me. I always watch for my diet and right foods to eat. Spice up your health with spicy foods. What are the benefits of adding heat to your meal? Find out and have reasons to love the sometimes unlovable. Check out this blog post http://freebeautymakeover.com/blog/go-spicy-go-fit-and-healthy.
As always, Christin, this looks delicious! I bet that my husband would love this. I’ll have to try it soon!
My husband counts carbs. I control his diabetes WITH diet alone. I will use Dreamfield penne pasta and because of the amount of fiber in the pasta he will be able to eat a hearty man sized portion of this casserole. Learn what you are talking about before you criticize.
I would not use this because of all the pasta in it. I didn’t expect that and I don’t EVER eat because it ruins my blood sugars. I’ve also lost 90 pounds by not eating starchy foods and I’m not interested in going backwards.
Judith, this casserole looks super delicious, and my family and friends would love it! If this recipe is not for you, why bother to comment at all! Personally, I watch my carbs, too, but will cook and bake foods that my family members enjoy. This site might not be for you!
I agree, if you aren’t going to make it, why even bother to comment.. it was obvious it had pasta in it from the get go, so why even read much less comment. People put their heart & soul into their cooking & are gracious enough to share.. don’t rain on their parade..
Judith, get a life. No one wants to read your snide comments. Keep your negative remarks to yourself.
Why not get creative and substitute califlower for pasta and see if that works
Idiot!!!!
It would be nice if you would provide weights of ingredients when appropriate. Volume measurements of dry or semi-dry ingredients can be variable dependent a number of factors.
Shredded cheese can have a lot of air or little air when put into a Cup measure, for example. Bags of shredded cheese have weight printed on the wrapper. One may estimate the weight by using that information and take a percentage.
Small kitchen scales are cheap. Even the occasional cook should own one.
Thanks.
Buy a scale and weigh your own food, it’s not a chefs job to work out your diet for you if you want to loose a few pounds you’re going to have to do the leg work I’m sorry. In the mean time enjoy this beautiful recipe it looks fantastic!