Move over mac & cheese, Jalapeño Havarti Chicken Casserole is in town.
Think of this recipe as mac & cheese on steroids. First, we start with a cheese sauce made with creamy Havarti and traditional Cheddar. A delightful combination. But this sauce wraps its delicious goodness around so much more than a pile of rotini pasta. There’s a generous amount of shredded rotisserie chicken, joined by sweet corn kernels, colorful diced tomatoes with chilies, and a touch of heat from diced canned Jalapeño.
Adapting Jalapeño Havarti Chicken Casserole
The canned jalapenos were one of my tweaks to this Hy-Vee Seasons recipe. Since the Jalapeño received top billing in this recipe, I thought they should have a bigger role than a few thin slices on top of the casserole.
Plus, I’ve often found fresh Jalapeños to lack any heat, tasting more like green bell pepper. So I threw in half of a 4 oz. can of diced Jalapeños. This provided just a touch of heat. So if you want more fire, throw in the full can. If you prefer no heat, you can skip both the canned and fresh jalapenos.
I also swapped out the Queso Blanco in favor of shredded Cheddar. The original recipe called for using one-quarter of a 32-ounce package of Queso Blanco, and I didn’t have plans for the rest. Also, Cheddar is a time-tested standard for mac & cheese and I can always find good uses for extra shredded Cheddar.
Toppings to Love
Don’t you feel like buttery panko breadcrumbs make almost everything irresistible? Jalapeno Havarti Chicken Casserole is no exception! I also loved the halved cherry tomatoes and fresh Jalapeño slices because they add a nice pop of color.
Half Recipe Tips
I cut this recipe in half because we’re light eaters. That means eight servings turn out to be almost 2x that amount. Simply cut all the quantities in half if that option works for you. The one exception is that I added an additional 1/4 cup of milk for the sauce.
My other half recipe tip is a product from Brailla called Ready Pasta. This is a precooked microwaveable package of pasta that cooks in 60 seconds. The best part is that the 8.5-ounce package yields the 2 cups of pasta required.
“Easy Button” Leftovers
When I spotted a mac & cheese recipe that boasted jalapeños I knew it would be right up my hubby’s alley, and I was right. I was also pleased to have a nice stash of “easy button” leftovers to freeze for those days when I’m too busy to cook.
Jalapeño Havarti Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 c. dry rotini pasta
- 6 tbsp. butter divided
- ¼ c. flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 c. 2% reduced-fat milk
- 3 c. Havarti cheese shredded, divided
- 4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 15.25-oz. can corn, drained
- 2 oz. 1/2 4 oz. can diced jalapeño
- 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
- ½ c. plain panko bread crumbs
- 1 fresh jalapeño pepper thinly sliced and seeded
- ¼ c. cherry tomatoes halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside. Cook pasta in boiling water for 9 to 11 minutes or until pasta is al dente; drain.
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until melted. Whisk in flour, salt, and garlic powder until well combined. Slowly whisk in milk. Cook and whisk over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Stir in 2 cups Havarti and Cheddar. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until cheeses are melted; remove from heat. Add cooked pasta, chicken, corn, tomatoes with green chilies, and canned jalapeños; stir to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup Havarti.
- Microwave the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl 30 for seconds or until melted. Stir in bread crumbs until evenly coated. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top of casserole. Top with fresh jalapeño slices and cherry tomatoes. Bake 20 to 23 minutes or until edges begin to bubble; remove from oven.
- Place oven rack 6 inches from heat. Preheat broiler to high. Broil casserole for 2 to 3 minutes or until crumbs are golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving
Cathy, I made this for Robyn and her family as a “bonus” meal on Memorial Day. They had it for dinner last night and pronounced it a keeper! As it is a pretty rich recipe, I know they will get multiple meals from this one dish. It is definitely a kid approved recipe! Thanks!
What a great cook, Mom, and Grandmother you are, preparing all these tasty meals for you family! So glad they liked it. 😍👍
Great flavor Cathy. We always love a good pasta dish.