Creamy Jalapeño Popper Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Tender chicken and crispy bacon in a creamy cheese sauce with fresh jalapeños, served over pasta.

# What You Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (rotisserie or poached)
02 - 6 slices bacon, diced

→ Pasta

03 - 12 oz short pasta (elbow macaroni or penne)

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

04 - 2 fresh jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
05 - 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Dairy

07 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
08 - 1 cup whole milk
09 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
10 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

→ Pantry

11 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
12 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

→ Toppings

15 - 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, toasted
16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
17 - Extra jalapeño slices for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan.
03 - Add olive oil to the bacon fat in the skillet. Sauté onion and jalapeños for 3 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
04 - Lower heat to medium-low. Add cream cheese and milk, stirring constantly until the cheese melts and forms a smooth sauce.
05 - Stir in cheddar, mozzarella, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt. Mix until the cheese is melted and the sauce is creamy.
06 - Add shredded chicken, cooked pasta, and half of the cooked bacon to the sauce. Gently fold until everything is thoroughly coated and heated through.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
08 - Serve immediately, topped with remaining bacon, toasted panko breadcrumbs, extra jalapeño slices, and fresh herbs if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like comfort food got a spicy makeover, with crispy bacon and melted cheese doing most of the heavy lifting.
  • The whole thing comes together in under 45 minutes, so you can actually pull this off on nights when you're genuinely hungry but also genuinely tired.
  • It's the kind of dish that makes people ask for seconds without realizing how simple you made it.
02 -
  • The cream cheese needs to be softened and cubed before it hits the pan, otherwise you'll spend ten minutes stirring and still have lumps, which I learned the hard way the first time.
  • Don't let that sauce boil once the cheese is in there, because high heat will break it and make it look grainy and separated, so keep things at a gentle simmer.
03 -
  • Toast your panko breadcrumbs in a dry skillet for two minutes before serving, because it brings out a toasted nuttiness that raw breadcrumbs just can't match.
  • If you're cooking for people with different heat preferences, prepare the sauce without jalapeños and let everyone add their own heat at the table.
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