Jalapeño Popper Chicken Pasta (Print Version)

Creamy, spicy pasta with tender chicken, jalapeños, cheeses, and a crunchy breadcrumb finish.

# Components:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fusilli pasta
02 - Salt, for boiling water

→ Chicken

03 - 10 oz cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

04 - 2 fresh jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
05 - ½ small onion, finely chopped
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Cheese & Dairy

07 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
08 - 1 cup whole milk
09 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
10 - 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
11 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Topping

12 - ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
13 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
14 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

→ Seasonings

15 - ½ tsp smoked paprika
16 - ½ tsp salt
17 - ¼ tsp black pepper

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
03 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeños, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
04 - Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream cheese until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk.
05 - Stir in cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses until melted and creamy. Season with smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.
06 - Fold cooked chicken and pasta into the cheese sauce until evenly coated.
07 - Transfer mixture to greased baking dish.
08 - Combine panko breadcrumbs, melted butter, and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture.
09 - Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until topping is golden and pasta is bubbly.
10 - Optionally garnish with extra chopped jalapeños. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The spicy-creamy contrast keeps you coming back for another bite, never letting the dish feel one-dimensional.
  • It's the kind of weeknight dinner that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when you've barely spent thirty minutes.
  • Leftover chicken makes it practical, but the breadcrumb topping and multiple cheeses make it feel genuinely special.
02 -
  • Don't skip softening the cream cheese first or you'll end up with lumpy sauce that no amount of whisking can fix.
  • The magic happens when you melt the cheeses slowly over low heat because high heat can make them separate and become grainy instead of creamy.
  • The breadcrumb topping needs that melted butter coating or it'll stay pale and dense instead of turning golden and crispy.
03 -
  • Shred your own cheese instead of using pre-shredded because the anti-caking agents in bagged cheese can make your sauce grainy instead of smooth.
  • The moment the breadcrumb topping turns golden is also the moment to pull it out because a minute too long and it starts to darken and lose that tender crispness.
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