Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
Creamy, cheesy, and packed with big flavor, this chicken jalapeño popper casserole is the ultimate comfort food with a spicy kick.
Print
Pin
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded, divided
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups penne pasta
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 jalapeños about ⅓ cup, diced and seeded
- 4-5 strips bacon cooked crispy and crumbled
- 1 green onions optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, half of the shredded cheddar, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cumin and chili powder and stir until fully combined.
- Add the chicken broth, stirring until well combined and set aside.
- In the casserole dish, add an even layer of chicken, pasta, jalapenos, and bacon (reserving a few pieces for garnish).
- Top the chicken and pasta with the cream cheese mixture and stir to make sure that all the pasta is covered with liquid.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the pasta has absorbed all the liquid.
- Stir and top with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before garnishing with green onions, jalapeno slices and your reserved bacon. Serve warm.
Notes
- I like to use pre-cooked chicken breast meat but feel free to use chicken thighs as well.
- It’s ok if there are still a few cream cheese chunks. They’ll melt while the casserole bakes.
- Make sure that all the pasta is submerged in the liquid. If it isn’t, the pasta won’t cook and will be hard.
- Allow the casserole to cool for about 10-15 minutes before cutting into it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 656kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 1488mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1133IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 336mg | Iron: 2mg
