Creamy Jalapeño Popper Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Rich pasta with tender chicken, crispy bacon, and creamy jalapeño cheese sauce.

# What You Need:

→ Proteins

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

→ Pasta

03 - 12 ounces short pasta such as elbow macaroni or penne

→ Vegetables and Aromatics

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

→ Dairy

07 - 8 ounces 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 additional to taste

→ Topping

15 - 1/2 cup toasted panko breadcrumbs, optional
16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, optional

# How-To Steps:

01 - Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
02 - While 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 minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
04 - Lower heat to medium-low. Add softened cream cheese and milk, stirring continuously until the cheese melts and forms a smooth sauce.
05 - Stir in cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt. Mix until all cheese is melted and sauce reaches a creamy consistency.
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 with additional salt and black pepper.
08 - Serve immediately, topped with remaining bacon, toasted panko breadcrumbs, additional jalapeño slices, and fresh herbs if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like an indulgent appetizer turned into a real meal, which means you get to feel a little fancy while eating pasta.
  • The whole thing comes together in under 40 minutes, making it perfect for those nights when you're hungry but didn't plan ahead.
  • Bacon, cream cheese, and jalapeños do the heavy lifting, so every bite feels loaded with flavor without fussy techniques.
02 -
  • Don't skip softening the cream cheese or it'll refuse to melt smoothly and you'll end up with grainy sauce that feels more like a mistake than dinner.
  • Toast your panko breadcrumbs in a dry pan for 2 minutes before using them, otherwise they'll absorb moisture and turn into mushy sad crumbs instead of staying crispy.
  • Taste the sauce before adding the pasta because seasoning cream cheese dishes is harder to adjust once everything's mixed together.
03 -
  • Always taste your sauce before adding the pasta because cream cheese dishes are nearly impossible to fix once everything's blended together.
  • Reserve a handful of pasta cooking water before you drain it—a splash stirred into the finished dish makes the sauce silkier and helps everything meld.
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