Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
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If you're a fan of creamy, cheesy and spicy flavors, Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole is the perfect recipe for you! Tender chicken is mixed with creamy cheese, bacon and zesty jalapeño peppers to create an easy one-dish meal. It's a great casserole for Game Days because it bakes in only 30 minutes!
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Recipe at a Glance
- Loaded with Flavor - what's not to love about turning your favorite appetizer into a warm and cheesy dinner?
- Easy Recipe - just add ingredients in a bowl, mix them together and dump everything into your favorite casserole dish.
- Ready in a Flash - takes only 30 minutes to bake!
Why This Casserole Works
The combination of cream cheese and sour cream keeps the chicken rich and creamy, while cheddar adds plenty of cheesy flavor. A buttery panko topping gives every bite a little crunch, and you can easily adjust the jalapeños to make it as mild or spicy as you wish.
The key to getting the best texture is using softened cream cheese with panko crumbs on top. The cream cheese blends much more smoothly, while the buttery panko adds the crunchy contrast this jalapeño casserole recipe needs.
This is one of those dump and bake casseroles that will make your life so much easier. It's easy to mix together and bake, so dinner will be cooking while you're making a Strawberry Pecan Salad to cool things down.
Love spicy recipes? Try my Smoked Jalapeño Poppers the next time you're entertaining, or enjoy this Honey Sesame Chicken that can be made as sweet or spicy as you wish!
Key Ingredients
See printable recipe card at the bottom of this page for quantities and further instructions.
- Main Casserole: chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces, cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, diced jalapeños, green chiles, crispy bacon
- Seasonings: minced garlic cloves, onion powder, salt, black pepper
- Topping: panko breadcrumbs mixed with melted butter, fresh jalapeños
How to Make Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
STEP 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
STEP 2: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink, about 6-7 minutes.
STEP 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, half of the bacon, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, garlic, onion powder, green chiles, salt, and pepper. Stir in cooked chicken.
STEP 4: Spread chicken mixture into prepared casserole dish.
STEP 5: Mix panko with melted butter. Top casserole with remaining cheese, bacon, buttered panko and fresh jalapeño slices if desired.
STEP 6: Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and top is golden brown. Add sliced jalapeños to the top of the casserole for garnish if desired.
Debi's Tips
- To lessen the spice level, remove jalapeño seeds before dicing.
- Use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to reduce the prep time by half.
- Soften the cream cheese by bringing it to room temperature so it will be easier to blend with other ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
This jalapeño chicken recipe is packed with simple ingredients like chicken, cheese, crispy bacon, and spicy jalapeños, combining all the flavors of your favorite appetizer into an easy dish with a little kick.
- Serve it with a green pea salad, a loaf of cheesy garlic bread, and a classic dish like creamy coleslaw.
- Looking for low carb sides? Cauliflower rice, lemon butter asparagus or roasted broccoli are the perfect accompaniments.
Variations
- Chicken: Swap with boneless, skinless chicken thighs for added juiciness, or use store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Cheese: Use Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheese for a different flavor profile.
- Breadcrumbs: Replace with crushed Ritz crackers or fried onions for a different texture and crunch.
- Sour Cream: use plain Green yogurt to save calories or low fat cream cheese if desired.
- Add Vegetables: Toss in some corn, rotel tomatoes or green onions for extra flavor.
Recipe FAQ
This jalapeño popper chicken bake has a medium heat level, but you can adjust it by adding or removing jalapeño seeds or adding extra green chiles for the perfect amount of heat.
Absolutely! Just shred the rotisserie chicken and mix it with the other ingredients as directed.
Thick-cut bacon adds great flavor and texture, but regular bacon also works well. You could also try turkey bacon as a lighter alternative. Our family uses this substitution and it's one of our favorite recipes.
Storage Guide
- Leftovers: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat: place the casserole in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes until warmed through, or microwave individual servings for 1-2 minutes until hot.
- To Freeze: this dish can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Easy Meals
If your family loves easy and delicious meals, try these other ideas too...
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Recipe Card
Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
*See notes in blog post for detailed tips, photos and instructions.
Equipment
- baking dish (9 x 13)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil (or other high smoke point oil)
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sour cream
- 6 jalapeños seeded and diced
- 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces green chiles canned and diced
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 4 Tablespoons butter melted
- 2 fresh jalapeños, sliced (optional garnish)
Instructions
- STEP 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- STEP 2: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink, about 6-7 minutes.
- STEP 3: In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, jalapeños, half of the bacon, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, garlic, onion powder, green chiles, salt, and pepper. Stir in cooked chicken.
- STEP 4: Spread chicken mixture into prepared casserole dish.
- STEP 5: Mix panko with melted butter. Top casserole with remaining cheese, bacon, buttered panko and fresh jalapeño slices if desired.
- STEP 6: Bake uncovered for 25 minutes until bubbly and top is golden brown. Add sliced jalapeños to the top of the casserole for garnish if desired.
Notes
-
- To lessen the spice level, remove jalapeño seeds before dicing.
- Use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to reduce the prep time by half.
- Soften the cream cheese by bringing it to room temperature so it will be easier to blend with other ingredients.
- Leftovers: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat: place the casserole in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes until warmed through, or microwave individual servings for 1-2 minutes until hot.
- To Freeze: this dish can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is an auto generated estimate.
This Recipe was absolutely amazing!!!
Thanks Anita!
I was so excited to make this recipe however I thought it was dry. Maybe next time I will add a bit of chicken stock or cream/milk to it. Also, we were out of Panko breadcrumbs and I used regular breadcrumbs, not a good choice.
Hi Gail. I'm not sure why you experienced the dryness. Adding the regular breadcrumbs may have been what dried it out. The sour cream and cream cheese in this recipe makes it extra creamy, but if you like it dripping off the spoon, I think adding 1/2 cup cream or milk might help.
This recipe is perfect just the way it is. I made it for my family and they couldn't eat it fast enough. Thanks for another easy casserole!