This Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole is poppin’ with big flavor! With shredded chicken, a creamy cheese sauce, melty cheddar, crispy bacon, and spicy jalapeños, this is a dinner that’s sure to be devoured!
For a make-ahead option, assemble this chicken casserole up to 24 hours in advance and bake when ready to serve!
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Flavor- Creamy, cheesy, and a slight kick from the jalapenos!
Ease- This is a simple one-bowl mixing recipe, easy to prepare!
Shortcut- Use rotissserie chicken to make dinner prep a breeze.
Spice it up- Use a pepperjack cheese to add even more of a spicy kick.
Serve it- I love this as a dip or served on a bun.
Ingredient Tips
The full ingredient list is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here are some highlights.
- Chicken – Cook and shred the chicken, or buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it. This Instant Pot Shredded Chicken works well too!
- Cheese – You’ll need softened cream cheese as well as shredded cheddar. I prefer to shred the cheddar myself for the creamiest results.
- Sour cream – This makes the sauce creamier and adds a nice tangy flavor.
- Jalapeños – It’s the ribs of the jalapeño that are the spicy part, so if you want your casserole to be milder, scrape them out with the edge of a spoon along with the seeds. You can also reduce the number of jalapeños.
- Bacon – Cook the bacon, then crumble it. I prefer my bacon extra crispy in this dish!
How to Make Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
Assemble the Casserole:
- Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl using a wooden spoon.
- Transfer the chicken mixture to a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese and bacon.
Bake the Casserole:
- Cover the baking dish with foil.
- Bake in a 350ºF oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes more to melt the cheese.
Serve: Add the green onions and serve hot.
How to Serve Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
You can make this a meal with a simple side dish like Copycat Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice or Instant Pot Cornbread.
I love serving leftovers on pretzel buns or making them into sliders, like these Buffalo Chicken Sliders.
And although it’s a casserole, you can reinvent this recipe as a warm dip and serve it with tortilla chips!
Tips and Tricks
- You can shred the chicken and mix the casserole at the same time by putting the chicken in your stand mixer and using the paddle attachment.
- To make this jalapeño popper chicken casserole with uncooked chicken, mix together all of the ingredients except the chicken. Place the chicken in a baking dish, then pour the creamy sauce on top.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Easy Cheesy Casserole Recipes
- Love a crowd-pleasing chicken casserole? Then you’ll want to add my Italian Chicken Casserole to your menu too. I also love this Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe for a satisfying meal!
- My Doritos Casserole has always been a hit at family gatherings!
- This Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole is a side dish we serve for all holidays, it’s so easy and delicious.
- Have you ever made Bubble Up Pizza Casserole? So easy and tasty too.
- This Meatball Parmesan Casserole can be made ahead and served with pasta, on a bun, or keep it low carb.
- Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole is pure comfort food and makes it a delicious weekend dinner.
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Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked and shredded chicken, see notes
- 8 ounce cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 8 ounce sour cream
- 6 jalapenos, seeded and diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 green onions, sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, garlic salt, 1 1/2 cups of the shreeded cheese, and half of the crumbled bacon. Mix until blended (you can use your electric mixer with paddle here to get a good shredded chicken and blending of ingredients.
- Spoon mixture into a 2 quart baking dish (or 9-inch square). Top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and the other half of the cumbled bacon. Cover dish with foil.
- Bake in the oven covered for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake and additional 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Remove fromthe oven and sprinkle with green onions. Serve hot.
Notes
- This is about 2 pounds of chicken. Or use one whole rotisserie chicken.
- Serving Suggestions. This dish is delicious on a pretzel bun or small slider buns. Can also be served as a dip with tortilla chips.
- Spice factor. I don’t find jalapenos to be super spicy, but if you can’t tolerate them, use less. If you like things extra spicy use a couple more and add a few shakes of hot sauce!
- Make ahead. Assemble the dish up to 24 hours in advance. Bake as directed.
- Can be made using raw chicken. Mix up the creamy filling. Lay chicken in bottom of baking dish, cover with cream cheese mixture. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes, remove foil and cook and additional 5 minutes. Chicken internal temperature should be 165 degrees F.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze leftovers in airtight freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake until hot.
