Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
This jalapeno popper chicken casserole has the perfect amount of heat from jalapenos, crunchy salty kick from bacon and a creamy texture from a special sauce and spaghetti squash. This recipe is dairy free, paleo, keto and low carb and great for those following a round of Whole30.
Not quite sure when I started obsessing over jalapeno poppers. I never really had them much growing up. In fact the only time I had them was New Years Eve.
One of the traditions I had growing up was to make a TON of appetizers. The kind that you would find in the freezer section like pizza bagels, taquitos, mozzarella sticks and of course jalapeno poppers.
I was afraid of them for a while but that’s probably because I was afraid of spice in general.
Things have of course changed and these days I find any way to make the flavor of jalapeno poppers come to life in a healthy way.
This jalapeno popper chicken casserole is unlike a normal casserole in that it is not made with pasta or even cheese. It is bind together with spaghetti squash and uses a creamy mayo based sauce to get the perfect flavor and texture.
I also think that anything with Jalapeno poppers should include bacon because it gives it a salty, crunchy and slightly smoky kick that it needs.
Today’s recipe for Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole is sponsored by Moink, a humanely-raised, ethically-sourced meat subscription service.
If you follow me on social media, you know that I have tried other meat subscription services but ultimately had to let go because of the loss of quality over time and expense.
Just as I was about to give up, I found Moink!
Recipe Notes:
- This recipe is great for leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken, canned chicken or using raw chicken with this method.
- To make this recipe more spicy, add the chopped jalapeno seeds and ribs to the casserole mix
How to cook Spaghetti Squash:
In oven: Heat oven to 400 F. Slice squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Drizzle halves with the olive oil and season with salt. Place squash cut side down on baking sheet and roast until tender, 45-50 minutes. Use a fork to scrape out the inside spaghetti.
In Instant Pot: CLICK HERE
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
For Casserole:
- 2 cups Shredded Chicken Breast cooked
- 2 medium Jalapenos seeded and diced
- 8 pieces Bacon cooked + chopped
- 2 Eggs whisked
- 6 cups Spaghetti Squash cooked
For Cream Sauce:
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Dried Chives
- 1 tbsp Dried Parsley
- ½ tsp Dried Dill
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
Instructions
For Cream Sauce:
- In a medium sized bowl, add mayo, dried chives, dried parsley, dried dill, salt, pepper and garlic powder and stir until fully combined.
For Casserole:
- Preheat your oven to 350
- In a large bowl add cooked spaghetti squash, shredded chicken, chopped bacon, 2 eggs and cream sauce.
- Stir until everything is fully combined.
- Pour casserole mixture into a 9X13 greased baking pan and press it down until it is one even layer.
- Add sliced jalapeno rings for garnish.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until casserole begins to set. The final product should be wet but heated through until the eggs are cooked and mixture is binded together enough to slice.
Assuming I put the seeded & diced jalapeños in with chicken mixture and that the jalapeño garnish is separate??
That is correct! 🙂
Can I substitute the Mayo with Greek yogurt?
I’m not sure how that would change the consistency, but it may be worth a shot! Let me know how it goes if you try it!
How many squashes should I get with this recipe to yield six cups? Thanks.
Great question. One large spaghetti squash should be plenty.