BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese
Two favorites all baked into one delicious casserole style meal. BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese is a family favorite. It makes for a great side dish or meal.
Servings: 6
Equipment
- 9x9 baking dish
- Large pot
Ingredients
BBQ Chicken
- 1½ lb chicken breasts, sliced in half
- ½ tsp salt more as needed
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp chipotle powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oil
- ⅓ cup barbecue sauce more as needed!
- 2 Tbsp franks red hot or any buffalo sauce optional*
Mac and Cheese
- 12 oz box shells, medium sized about 2 cups of dry pasta. Gluten free pasta will also work.
- 4 Tbsp butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour or gluten free all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt & pepper
- ½ tsp chipotle powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1½ cup milk use any milk of choice! Chicken broth will also work.
- ½ cup water chicken broth will also work.
- ¾ cup cheddar, shredded
- ½ cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
BBQ Chicken
- If you are cooking your own chicken; grab a large heavy bottomed pan or skillet. Add 1 tsp of oil to the pan and place on medium/high heat. Cut the breasts in half for a quicker/even cook.
- Coat the chicken with the chicken seasonings. Add the chicken to the hot pan. Cook on each side for about 8-10 minutes or until it reaches 165º internally. Let the chicken rest for 2 minutes. Shred/chop the chicken, add to a large bowl and mix with bbq & hot sauce. Set aside.
Mac and Cheese
- Start to cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Once pasta is done, drain in a colander. Set aside. In the same pot, cook the mac and cheese sauce.
- Melt the butter in the large pot on medium/low heat. Add in flour and whisk well. Next, add in seasonings, milk (or broth) and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down and add the shredded cheese! Next add noodles and shredded BBQ coated chicken.
- You can serve as is or take it up a notch and add the mix to a 9x9 casserole dish and pop into a preheated oven (400º) to bake. Feel free to add some extra shredded cheddar and bbq sauce drizzle before baking. Bake for about 15 minutes, pull from the oven, serve and enjoy. Optional to garnish with chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Taste the cheese sauce! You may want to add a little more salt and pepper so be sure to taste as you go.
- Make it a little healthier. Use chicken broth in place of the milk, and use low fat cheese and protein pasta.
- Don't overcook the noodles. Cook them al dente so they hold up well with the creamy cheese sauce.
- Don't over bake the mac & cheese, be sure to just lightly brown the top in the oven for the ultimate tasty mac & cheese.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cup of mac & cheese | Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 875mg | Potassium: 721mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 499IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 283mg | Iron: 2mg