Batch and prep

Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole

Name: Jalapeño Popper Chicken Casserole
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 cup long-grain white rice; 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth; 6 oz Neufchâtel cheese, softened; 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt; 4 jalapeños, sliced; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 4 oz reduced-fat cheddar, shredded; 2 oz turkey bacon, chopped; 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs; cooking spray

Creamy, cheesy, jalapeño-studded chicken and rice bake.

1 h 10 min total18 min activeMakes 6 portions

High-proteinMethod in ProFreezes well

Everything people love about jalapeño poppers, the cream cheese, the cheddar, the crisp top and the gentle heat, baked into a chicken and rice casserole. Neufchâtel and Greek yogurt keep it creamy and much lighter. A crunchy panko and turkey bacon top finishes it.

Ingredients

For 6 portions.

Casserole

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz Neufchâtel cheese, softened
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
4 jalapeños, sliced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 oz reduced-fat cheddar, shredded

Topping

2 oz turkey bacon, chopped
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
cooking spray

Method

Heat the oven to 375°F. Whisk the Neufchâtel, yogurt, garlic powder and a splash of the broth until smooth, then the rest of the broth. Stir in the rice, chicken, most of the jalapeños and half the cheese in a 9-by-13-inch dish.
Cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes.
Oven 375°F

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Tips

Seed half the jalapeños for a mild casserole; leave them in for more heat.
Soften the Neufchâtel so it melts smoothly into the sauce.

Food photo is AI-generated to show the finished dish. Recipe written with AI and checked by our QA process; nutrition computed from USDA data.

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