Chicken Mac and Cheese.
Mac and cheese is my one true comfort food.
It is also probably my favorite dish – I would add just about anything to mac and cheese. I would totally eat my vegetables if eating them drenched in creamy cheese sauce was doable each night.
Do you know who else loves mac and cheese? Mr. How Sweet.
But he doesn’t love “souped up” mac and cheese. He asked for mac and cheese to be made with chicken this weekend, and I had visions of gourmet ramekins dancing in my head. Sweet caramelized onion and bacon would be just perfect.
So I shared my ideas with Mr. How Sweet and he just got mad. He wanted plain mac and cheese. Plain. Boring, old, vanilla. Noodles, cheese and chicken. That’s it.
Sometimes I forget that he still has the tastebuds of a 4-year old.
I semi-convinced him that it would be delicious and promised that he would love it. Actually, that didn’t work at all. But I made it anyway.
Because every other time I make something and he whines, he ends up eating the entire thing before I even get a plate.
And as usual, I ended up being right… again. I am his personal taste bud ambassador.
This may become a new staple in our house. The onions and peppers were caramelized but still crisp, and they added a touch of sweetness to the creamy cheese sauce. And the bacon… well you know that was just fabulous.
Chicken Mac and Cheese
1 1/2 lbs whole wheat pasta
2 boneless chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
3 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups milk (I used skim)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded smoked gruyere cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350.
Boil water for pasta and cook according to directions. In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and saute onions and red pepper. While water is boiling, make sauce. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add butter and flour and whisk together to create a roux. Add milk and cream, stirring constantly. Add cheeses and pinch of nutmeg, stirring consistently for 5-8 minutes until mixture thickens.
In a baking dish, layer pasta, chicken, pepper and onion mixture, and bacon, Add half of cheese sauce, then more pasta, chicken, peppers, onion and bacon. Add remaining cheese sauce.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Know what Mr. How Sweet ate with his chicken mac and cheese?
Chicken. In the form of rotisserie.
I am not even joking.
I am working on a FAQ page for How Sweet It Is. If there is a question you would like answered, feel free to leave it in the comments, use the contact form or ask anonymously (but kindly) here.
110 Comments on “Chicken Mac and Cheese.”
See I could totally eat this…I am not a mac n’ cheese fan at all. Unless of course it is Veleveta’s shells and cheese. Which come to think of it, I haven’t had that in like 5 years…lol
As usual that looks absolutely fantastic! I must try adding bacon to my Mac n Cheese next time I make it. :)
Yeah.. this is just wrong. I rather eat this than my breakfast! YUM! holy carbs. :)
I totally making this recipe!
BTW, Your pictures are gorgeous :)
Phew… It has bacon ;)
I’ve quit trying to convince the BF that what I’m making will be delicious … I make it anyway, and most of the time, commit some white lies about what the dishes are containing!
I hear ya, it really is all in the wording. I couldn’t call that mac and cheese here and get away with it. I am sure the boys would like it though. All I would have to say is bacon.
Bacon makes everything better! :-) This looks amazing, and I love that you sneek some veggies in…I can’t wait to make this for my family! Thanks, Jessica!
Pingback: Tweets that mention Chicken Mac and Cheese. | How Sweet It Is -- Topsy.com
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Mac and cheese and nicely seasoned chicken together is heaven. But then again it doesn’t really need seasoning because the bacon IS the seasoning. :D
Wei-Wei
Jess, that looks amazing! I think my husband would love this! I just put a little gold star on this post in my google reader!
Thanks girl!
Ohhh I can tell you right now my husband would DIG this. And I would too… because it has bacon in it. And bacon makes everything better, as you know ;)
xo
Kris
You know, I’ve never actually made mac and cheese?! I will have to put then on my fall recipes list! Yum! Love the add ins.
That is some intense cheese lovin’. Yum.
I usually don’t discuss what I’m making for my husband and he usually just eats doesn’t ask. haha I just made baked ziti last night I think next week I’ll try this. :)
I love that last picture… BTW, just so you know, I think you are the ONLY one who thinks your photos aren’t fantabulous. I showed my photo buff boyfriend your pictures and he was wowed also.
Really?! Wow, that almost made me cry. Thank you!!
As if an entire pantry full of snacks in my parents house wasn’t enough to entice me, now you gotta throw THIS curveball in my face. It’s 7 a.m. and I want it right NOW.
oh my gosh, that is hilarious! i really really want this…and am now drooling all over the empty desk in front of me…
Oh man, that picture of the melty cheesy goodness….
Once again you’ve out done yourself here…I need to make this. It reminds me of a dish I get at a local cajun restaurant – so yummy!
Mac and cheese is my favorite comfort food too :-) Love the addition of red peppers!
Oh my…I’m in trouble with this one. I LOOOVE mac and cheese, but am always looking for a way to incorporate protein into it. Love it!!
My husband does the same thing! If i tell him about a dish and explain it’s contents he will frown….but if I just make the dish and I don’t tell him what’s inside, he loves it!!! Men are so funny =)
This mac and cheese looks great! If I told my husband it had onions he would refuse to try it but if I didn’t tell him, he would never know and wonder what the great flavor comes from. hehe
Love that there’s some bacon squeezed in there too! YUM!
I am a Mac and Cheese gal and this, oh….this looks fab!
That looks FABULOUS! I love mac ‘n cheese, but I especially like it with like of fluff (veggies) for volume. :)
Jenn
So glad I’m not the only grown-up with a mac and cheese obsession!
I love adding all kinda of stuff in MNC! Bacon is always awesome! And I like using corkscrew pasta too, I think it holds on to the cheese better than shells or elbow mac.
Bacon & chicken??!!! Gosh does Mr. Sweet get spoiled :) This mac and cheese sounds delicious. You also swooned me with the thought of the caramelized onions. YUM! xo
This looks awesome. Totally my kind of mac and cheese. Plus a one-pot meal, awesome! Funny about your husband… My husband has always said he enjoys my homemade mac and cheese (I often sneak in some veggies, he rarely complains). But the other day he made himself the bright orange kind from the box. He came to show me his bowl and said “see, this is what REAL mac and cheese iss upposed to look like”.
Hi! Just found your blog and love it. The Mac and Cheese looks amazing. I’m drooling on my work computer right this second.
This.sounds.fantastic!!!!! I loooooove Mac N Cheese! I’m allergic to parm so I’d like to try this with Laughing cow/cottage cheese/cheddar. The bacon addition sounds amazing as well. As a kid my mom would cut up a hot dog and mix it in, LOL.
And PS…I love reading other foodie’s blogs that also eat MEAT! :) :)
YUM YUM YUM! This looks so cheesy! I want to eat this right now ha!
I love mac & cheese too and would totally eat it every day if I could!
Yum!!! I recently made a buffalo chicken mac and cheese and it was SO good!! My boyfriend is the same way too… He never thinks he’s going to like things, but then I make them and he does!
holy moly. this looks incredible. i love that he had a side of chicken! haha!
Yum! That sure does sound good. Anything mac & cheese and i’m in. :)
This looks full of goodness! I’ve never tried putting anything else until our mac and cheese, and now I’m excited to experiment. :-)
This looks so good!! I love how you made it into a meal.
At least Mr. How Sweet eats chicken – my chubby hubby (actually just my bf but whatever) won’t touch it. And its so lean. Its infuriating he’s a red meat man. Regardless, he might go for this, especially since its smothered in cheese. The caramelized onions add a beautiful touch. I really want to try this out. Yum!
I think he and Mr. How Sweet would be the best of friends.
I recently concocted my very first homemade mac and cheese (and it was super healthy) and tasty. Yours looks phenom! I love the smoked gruyere in there…yjmmmmmmm
Hahah – glad you convinced him that gourmet is better than powdered cheese/box form. I’m sure the bacon helped;)
Mac & Cheese is one of my favorite foods too. Unfortunately, the husband really only likes the kind in a blue box….I guess that means more of the good stuff for me!
I really enjoy mac n’ cheese that has something extra! The sweet pepper addition is a great way to get in those veggies! Although, perhaps the heavy cream cancels it out? lol
No way! It has… calcium? Hahaha.
I totally voted for sweet morgan :)
I have a question for you, and I’ll just ask it here… can I come live there and eat every meal with you two? :)
Yes please!
Looks absolutely delicious!
It looks Yummy!! I can’t wait to try it!
Caramelized onion and pepper mac and cheese? Sign me up!
The caramelized onions in this dish are winning me over. Seriously. And the pictures are GORGEOUS!
I am TOTALLY making this next week. The hubby and I are both HUGE pasta, cheese, and bacon lovers. This recipe could not get any better!!!