Picture it: you’re at your favorite sports bar, tavern, or restaurant, and the server brings over your order—a basket of classic jalapeño poppers fresh from the fryer. The anticipation! The excitement! If only your kitchen could do something like that. Well, it can! The Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole swaps the oven in for the deep fryer, but it doesn’t mess around with the classic crunch or the refreshing, entrancing heat. Nor does it forget that tangy cream cheese and melty cheddar jack are the keys to making the jalapeño poppers pop! Plus Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole brings in extra meatiness and savory flavor with juicy chicken and fatty bacon. Sounds like staying in is the hip thing to do!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces rotini pasta
- 1 pound chicken, boneless and skinless
- 1 pound bacon
- 2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups Mexican cheddar jack cheese, shredded and divided
- 6 jalapeño peppers, deseeded and diced
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Grease a 9×12-inch casserole dish.
Step 3 –Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions.
Step 4 –Cut the chicken and the bacon into bite-sized pieces.
Step 5 –In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the chicken and bacon until the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees F internally and the bacon is crispy, for about 5-7 minutes.
Step 6 –Transfer the chicken and the bacon to a plate.
Step 7 –Drain the skillet of excess grease.
Step 8 –In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, jalapeño peppers, and green onions (reserving a few green onions and jalapeños for topping), and stir to combine thoroughly.
Step 9 –Place the cooked pasta in the prepared casserole dish.
Step 10 –Add the chicken and bacon to the casserole dish, reserving a few bacon pieces for topping.
Step 11 –Spoon the jalapeño mixture over the chicken and bacon.
Step 12 –Gently stir the mixture in the casserole dish until the pasta is coated.
Step 13 –Top the pasta with the remaining cheese.
Step 14 –Sprinkle the cheese with the reserved bacon, jalapeños, and green onions.
Step 15 –Bake until bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Step 16 –Serve hot.
