Jalapeno popper casserole is a creamy, cheesy chicken and pasta bake with the flavors of a jalapeno popper: cream cheese, cheddar, smoky bacon and a gentle pepper kick in every bite. It is a weeknight dinner that also travels well to potlucks and game-day spreads.
How to make jalapeno popper casserole: Mix softened cream cheese with chicken broth, sour cream, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir in cooked rotini, shredded chicken, canned diced jalapeños with their liquid, and half the bacon and cheddar. Spread in a 9×13-inch dish, top with the rest and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until 165°F in the center.
Why You’ll Love It
- Popper flavor without the stuffing. No halving, filling and wrapping peppers one by one.
- A full dinner in one dish. Chicken, pasta, cheese and bacon bake together.
- Rotisserie chicken works. Use cooked, shredded chicken you already have.
- Heat you can control. Canned peppers season the filling, and fresh slices on top are optional.
What Goes Into a Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole?
Chicken, cream cheese, cheddar, bacon and jalapeños are the core. Not every jalapeno popper casserole has pasta: some are made with tater tots and some have no starch at all. This one uses rotini, which makes it a complete dinner.
Ingredient Notes
Rotini pasta. Ten ounces, boiled until al dente.
Cream cheese. Eight ounces, softened to room temperature so it mixes smoothly.
Chicken broth and sour cream. One cup of low-sodium broth and 1 cup of sour cream loosen the cream cheese into a sauce.
Garlic powder and onion powder. A 1/2 tablespoon of each.
Chicken breast. Two cups, cooked and shredded. Rotisserie chicken is an option.
Canned diced jalapeño peppers. Two 4-ounce cans. Do not drain them.
Bacon. One pound, cooked and crumbled, divided in half.
Cheddar cheese. Two cups, shredded, divided in half.
Fresh jalapeño peppers. Two, sliced, for the top. They are optional.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces rotini pasta
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 2 cans diced jalapeño peppers (4 ounces each), not drained
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided in half
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided in half
- 2 fresh jalapeño peppers, sliced, optional topping
How to Make Jalapeno Popper Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook the pasta. Boil the rotini until al dente according to its package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. Mix the sauce. In a large bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, chicken broth, sour cream, garlic powder and onion powder until combined.
4. Combine the filling. Gently stir in the pasta, cooked shredded chicken, both cans of diced jalapeños with their liquid, half the crumbled bacon and half the cheddar.
5. Assemble. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared dish. Top with the remaining cheddar and bacon, then the sliced fresh jalapeños if using.
6. Bake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and the cheese is melted. Check that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer before serving.
Fresh or Canned Jalapeños?
This casserole uses both, in different places. The canned diced jalapeños go into the filling, liquid and all. The fresh jalapeños are sliced and laid on top, and you can leave them off.
| Pepper | How much | Where it goes | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canned diced jalapeños | 2 cans, 4 ounces each | Stirred into the filling, undrained | Yes |
| Fresh jalapeños | 2, sliced | On top, over the cheese and bacon | Optional |
Do not pour off the liquid in the cans. It goes into the bowl with the peppers and becomes part of the sauce.
If you want less heat from the fresh peppers, cut out their seeds and ribs before you slice them. If your family likes it mild, skip the fresh slices and let the canned peppers do the work.
Tips for Success
Why soften the cream cheese first?
Room-temperature cream cheese blends into the broth and sour cream. Cold cream cheese stays in lumps.
How do I know the casserole is done?
The filling is bubbly, the cheese is melted, and a food thermometer in the center reads 165°F. Bubbling cheese is a good sign, but the thermometer is the real check.
How should I cook the pasta?
Until al dente, following the package directions, then drain it and set it aside while you mix the sauce.
Why divide the bacon and cheese?
Half of each goes into the filling so there is bacon and cheddar all through the dish. The other half goes on top.
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Yes. Any cooked, shredded chicken breast works, and rotisserie chicken is named as an option.
How Long Does It Take?
About 60 minutes: 20 minutes of prep and 40 minutes of cooking, which covers boiling the pasta and the 25 to 30 minutes in the oven. That assumes the bacon and chicken are already cooked.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in shallow, covered containers, and to use refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days. Reheat them, covered, until they reach 165°F on a food thermometer. If you freeze leftovers, thaw them in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave, not on the counter.
What to Serve With It
Start the meal with mini pepper poppers. For more creamy chicken casseroles, try million dollar chicken casserole, Ritz cracker chicken casserole or the chicken bacon ranch casserole with potatoes. For other easy pan dinners, there is easy chicken burrito casserole and stuffed pepper casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do canned jalapeños go in drained, and are fresh jalapeños required?
The canned jalapeños go in undrained. The fresh jalapeños are an optional topping.
What goes into a jalapeño popper chicken casserole?
In this recipe: rotini, cream cheese, chicken broth, sour cream, garlic and onion powder, shredded chicken, canned diced jalapeños, bacon and cheddar.
Can jalapeño popper casserole be made without chicken?
There are versions without chicken, such as one made with tater tots, but they are separate recipes. This one is written with chicken.
How do I make it less spicy?
Leave off the fresh jalapeño slices, or remove their seeds and ribs before slicing.
Final Notes
I take the seeds and ribs out of the fresh jalapeños before slicing them for the top, because it keeps the heat friendly for everyone at the table. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Jalapeno Popper Casserole
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces rotini pasta
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 cups chicken breast cooked and shredded; rotisserie chicken is an option
- 2 cans diced jalapeño peppers 4 ounces each; do not drain
- 1 pound bacon cooked and crumbled; divide in half
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded; divide in half
- 2 fresh jalapeño peppers sliced; optional topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Boil the rotini until al dente according to its package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, chicken broth, sour cream, garlic powder and onion powder until combined.
- Gently stir in the pasta, cooked shredded chicken, both cans of diced jalapeños with their liquid, half the crumbled bacon and half the cheddar.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared dish. Top with the remaining cheddar and bacon, then the sliced fresh jalapeños if using.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and the cheese is melted. Check that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer before serving.
