Jalapeno Popper Chicken Pasta
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Pasta is a delicious, creamy, and cheesy dish that combines the bold flavors of jalapeno poppers with comforting pasta. This recipe is perfect for anyone who loves a little kick of spice. It’s an easy weeknight dinner that’s sure to become a family favorite!
This dish is a great spin on the classic jalapeno poppers appetizer. Instead of just having bite-sized portions, you get to enjoy all the flavors in one hearty and satisfying meal.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Every bite of this cheesy pasta dish packs a punch of flavor!
- This pasta is a surefire crowd-pleaser. Even picky eaters will be asking for seconds!
- Perfect for busy weeknights, this recipe comes together in about an hour using simple ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen.
🛒Ingredients
We’ve made this list to help you save time on your next trip to the grocery store. You can find the full amounts needed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- chicken breast
- bacon
- Rotini pasta
- jalapeno peppers
- green onions
- cream cheese
- sour cream
- heavy cream
- Mexican blend cheese
🔪 How to Make This Jalapeno Popper Chicken Pasta
This is a quick overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the bacon and chicken together in a large skillet.
- While the chicken is cooking, dice the jalapenos and green onions.
- Place the cream cheese, 1 cup of the Mexican blend cheese, heavy cream, and sour cream in a medium bowl. Add in the pepper and green onions.
- Place the chicken and bacon in the bottom of a glass casserole. Top with the rotini pasta.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the pasta. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
🥄 Equipment
This is the list of equipment that you will need to make this creamy pasta.
- 9×13 casserole dish
- large skillet
- large pot
- medium bowl
🥫 Storage
Storage – This pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating – To reheat, simply microwave or bake in the oven until heated through.
Serve With
We love to serve a hearty pasta dish like this a fresh and healthy side dish like this Cabbage Green Goddess Salad. We also like to pair it with a bread like this Homemade Garlic Breadsticks.
💭 Tips
- Use fresh jalapenos for the best flavor and a little extra kick, but you can adjust the amount based on your spice preference.
- For a smoother sauce, be sure to bring the cream cheese to room temperature before mixing.
- Don’t overcook the rotini pasta; al dente works best, as it will continue to cook slightly while baking in the oven.
- To make cleanup easier, spray your casserole dish with non-stick spray before layering the ingredients.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this jalapeno popper chicken pasta recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Absolutely! You can prepare the entire dish ahead of time, cover it tightly, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before baking. When you’re ready to enjoy it, simply bake it in the preheated oven until it’s hot and bubbly—this could take a few extra minutes compared to the original 20-25 minute bake time.
Yes, you can substitute rotini with other pasta shapes like penne, rigatoni, or shells. Just make sure to cook the pasta to al dente, as it will bake further in the oven to soak up all those delicious flavors.
You can use fewer jalapenos or substitute them with a milder pepper, like banana peppers or poblano peppers.
🍽 More Jalapeno Recipes
Do you enjoy jalapenos? If so, try these delicious recipes:
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- 9×13 casserole dish
- large skillet
- large pot
- medium bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 pound bacon
- 16 ounces Rotini pasta
- 4-6 jalapeno peppers
- 6 green onions
- 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
- Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cube the chicken and slice the bacon into bite size pieces.
- Reserve any bacon for the topping if you desire.
- Cook the chicken and bacon together for about 10-15 minutes over medium heat in a large skillet.
- The two meats will be ready when the chicken is cooked through and the bacon is crisp. Drain any excess oil.
- While the chicken and bacon are cooking, prepare the rotini per the box instructions.
- Be sure to strain the water out of the pasta noodles once they are done.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Slice the jalapenos and remove the seeds before dicing. Slice the green onions as well.
- Place the cream cheese, 1 cup of the Mexican blend cheese, heavy cream, and sour cream in a medium bowl.
- Stir everything together.
- Fold in the jalapeno peppers and green onion as well.
- Add the strained pasta noodles to the prepared casserole dish.
- Spread the bacon and chicken mixture evenly over the noodles in the pan.
- Top the bacon and chicken with the cheese mixture in the bowl. Carefully toss the noodles in the mixture.
- Finally, cover with the remaining 1 cup of Mexican blend cheese, and any extra bacon or onions you may have set aside.
- Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
- Allow the casserole to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
