Believe it or not, this recipe came to me in a dream after discussing previous adventures with jalapeno poppers and standard baked ziti. I awoke the next morning with a desire and a vision, and thus this delicious, spicy, and creamy ziti was born.
Ingredients
- skinless, boneless chicken breast halves: 2 pound
- chicken broth: 1 cup
- salt: 1 tsp
- ground black pepper: 1 tsp
- onion flakes: 1 tsp
- oregano: 1 tsp (dried)
- garlic: 1 tsp (minced)
- slices bacon: 6 piece (diced)
- medium jalapeno peppers - stemmed, seeded, and: 3 piece (minced)
- onion: 0.25 cup (diced)
- cream cheese: 1 pack (8 ounce pack, softened)
- mozzarella cheese: 1 cup (shredded)
- Parmesan cheese: 0.5 cup (grated)
- mayonnaise: 0.5 cup
- ziti pasta: 1 pack (16 ounce pack)
- Alfredo sauce: 1 jar (16 ounce jar)
- pepper jack cheese: 1 pack (8 ounce pack, shredded)
- mozzarella cheese: 0.5 cup (shredded)
- buttery round crackers: 0.5 cup (crushed)
- Parmesan cheese: 0.5 cup (grated)
- salted butter: 4 Tbsp (softened)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Combine chicken breasts, chicken broth, salt, pepper, onion flakes, oregano, and garlic for shredded chicken in a medium slow cooker, making sure chicken is completely covered by broth.
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Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center, on Low for 5 to 6 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours.
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Thirty minutes before chicken is finished cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
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Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and set aside.
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While ziti is cooking, prepare filling: fry bacon, jalapenos, and onion in a small skillet over medium-high heat until onions are tender and bacon is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a small mixing bowl with cream cheese, mozzarella, Parmesan, and mayonnaise; mix until well combined.
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Remove chicken from the slow cooker and place into a large bowl; use 2 forks to shred chicken into small pieces. Add cooked ziti and Alfredo sauce; mix well.
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Pour 1/2 of the chicken-ziti mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle pepper Jack cheese in an even layer over top. Spread jalapeno popper filling evenly across the dish. Pour remaining chicken-ziti mixture into the dish, and sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella over top.
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Mix crushed crackers, Parmesan cheese, and butter for topping together in a small bowl; sprinkle over the pasta dish.
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Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and just barely starts to turn golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
