Homemade Mac and Cheese with Chicken

Macaroni and cheese is definitely a top comfort food of mine. After seeing that I had enough ingredients to make it, I shared my idea with the fiance. His reaction was not exactly what I was expecting, "I only like the Kraft Mac and Cheese and the kind made with Velveeta." If you haven't noticed yet, my dishes revolve around him, because he is extremely picky. Although I was saddened with his comment, I was determined to make him like this. So, I compromised a bit and added some ingredients that he liked, like onions and pasta shells.

This recipe will require more ingredients than I have used previously, but I believe that all of them is what made this dish so good. What you'll need is chicken, shelled pasta, shredded cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, a bay leaf, garlic powder, minced garlic, butter, milk, flour, diced onion, and bread crumbs. You can begin by preheating your oven to 350º.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta shells until they are al dente. After they have finished cooking, drain and put them aside.

While your pasta is cooking, you can start to prepare your chicken. I seasoned the chicken using salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I used my George Foreman grill to grill my chicken breasts rather than saute. I am sure sauteing the chicken would be just as good, I just didn't want to overcrowd the stove.

After the chicken has cooked, cut them into bite sized pieces. Leave these aside as well. 

Making the sauce takes a lot of babysitting, so I didn't take many pictures for it. What you will do is start by melting the butter in the pan. Once melted turn the heat to low and pour in the milk. You want to warm the milk, not boil it. Once the milk is warm, whisk in the flour. Continue to whisk until there aren't any lumps and the sauce begins to thicken. 

Add in the onion, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. You will want to continue stirring while the sauce starts to simmer for about ten minutes. Take the bay leaf out once the time has surpassed and start stirring in three quarters of the shredded cheese and half of the parmesan cheese. Once the cheese is melted, you can fold in your noodles. If you think the sauce is a little too thick, add more milk until you get the consistency that you like just don't let it get too runny. 

Once the shells are folded in, add your chicken. 

After all the chicken is mixed into your sauce and shells, you can now transfer it into a baking dish.

Spread the remaining of the shredded cheese on top as well as the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Let this bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. If you get impatient halfway through, turn the broil on and it will brown the top quicker. 

Let it sit for a couple minutes before serving. And if you were wondering, yes, the fiance will now eat three kinds of mac and cheese. :)

Recipe

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1/2 a box of medium shelled pasta

3 cups of whole or 2% milk

3 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of flour

2 cups of shredded cheese(your preference) 

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup of diced onion

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoon of salt, divided

2 teaspoon of pepper, divided

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 cup of bread crumbs

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, divided

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Cook the pasta until al dente. Keep aside warm.
3. Season the chicken with half of the salt, half of the pepper, and the garlic powder. Grill or saute your chicken. Let sit to cool down and then cut into bite sized pieces.
4. Melt the butter in a pan. Turn the heat on low and pour in milk until it warms. Whisk in the flour until there aren't any lumps. Add the onion, paprika, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Continue mixing for about ten minutes while it simmers. 
5. Remove the bay leaf and mix in three quarters of the shredded cheese and half of the parmesan cheese. Continue stirring until the cheese is melted. If you feel the consistency is too thick, add a bit more milk.
6. Fold in the noodles and chicken.
7. Pour it into a baking dish. Top with the remaining shredded cheese, breadcrumbs, and parmesan cheese. Cook for 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.