Jalapeño Popper Chicken And Hash Brown Casserole
Easy, Jalapeño Popper Chicken And Hash Brown Casserole makes a great hearty breakfast or delicious dinner. Cheesy, spicy and protein packed.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- large 9" skillet
- 9x13 casserole dish or one similar in size*
Ingredients
- 9-11 slices bacon about .5 - .75 lb *see notes
- 2 large chicken breasts about .75 lbs *see notes or 1 lb of ground breakfast sausage
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese
- ½ cup milk *see notes
- 2-3 Tbsp bacon grease *see notes for sub
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried dill
- 2.75 cup thawed hash browns *see notes
- 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, separated
- 2-3 Jalapeños, diced
- ¼ cup green onions, diced
Instructions
- Start with cooking the bacon in a large heavy bottomed skillet (like a 9 inch cast iron). Reserve some of the bacon grease. Chop bacon into bite sized pieces and set aside.
- Cut chicken breasts in half, season generously with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the same skillet you cooked the bacon it. Cook for about 8-10 minutes on each side until fully cooked (165º internally). If using ground breakfast sausage, see notes!
- Add the chicken to a stand mixer to shred, or shred by hand. Set aside.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or drizzle bacon grease.
- In a large mixing bowl stir together 1/2 cup of the cheese, cream cheese, melted butter or bacon grease, milk, seasonings, jalapeños (reserve some for garnish!) and about ⅔ of the bacon (the rest will be garnish), combine well. Stir in the cooked shredded chicken and the thawed hash browns. Spoon evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes (see notes on baking times). Remove from the oven, evenly sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake for an additional 20 -25 minutes, the cheese should be brown and bubbling. Pull from the oven, let it cook just a bit. Garnish with sliced green onions, jalapeños and leftover crispy bacon.
- Let the casserole sit for a few minutes to settle, serve and enjoy!
Notes
*Reserve bacon grease for the casserole if making it, otherwise please substitute melted butter for the bacon grease.
*use 2.5 cups of Rotisserie chicken in place of chicken breasts if using.
*use any milk of choice, I use 2%.
*Pre diced breakfast potatoes will also work
*please note, using a different size casserole dish will alter the baking times. Additionally, different types of casserole dishes will alter the time! Keep an eye on the casserole.
*If making with ground breakfast sausage, cook the sausage in a skillet until browned. Add it in when the recipe calls for the shredded chicken, follow all steps the same after that.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze these for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 644kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 140mg | Sodium: 975mg | Potassium: 1020mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 433IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 280mg | Iron: 2mg