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.”
This looks absolutely delicious!! I can’t wait until I can make it…bookmarking now!
This looks delicious! I do understand Mr. How Sweet, though. Sometimes I want a casseroleish meal, and mac & cheese with mixins is fine. But when I want macaroni and cheese, I want that unadulterated flavor that’s so nostalgic — adding things to it really changes the whole quality of the dish for me. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t inhale this, though :)
See, I would love to make this. But Ben wouldn’t touch it, and I’d inhale the whole thing.
And that’s a bad thing… why? :)
love the FAQ, especially your answer to if you like vegetables “no, I really do not” hahahaa love it jess!
omg my favorite combo when I was little was mac and cheese with applesauce! I bet it would be good with some bacon in there…just sayin…
i had macaroni with bison and tomato sauce last night, not quite mac and cheese and NOWHERE NEAR as incredible as this!! <3
This mac looks absolutely perfect to me :) And would probably be the only way to get me to eat my veggies.
Peter does that a lot too. He will complain about something but then end up really liking it. When will the men in our lives ever learn to trust us?
Seriously.
I just found your blog for the first time. Your pictures are great and that looks so delicious!
“personal taste bud ambassador”. Love it :) Where do you come up with these things!? And as for the mac and cheese – tasty!
I enjoy the fact that you decided the Mr. would like this version and made it despite his wariness. Well done, well done.
HA! What a typical guy–chicken with his chicken!
One word: delicious!
Ok, I think I just squealed a little when I saw that you put smoked gruyere in this amazing chicken mac & cheese dish!!!!!! Smoked gruyere is my FAVORITE cheese ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
oh. i HAVE to make this for marshall. it has all his faves! thanks lady!
I love everything about this recipe!
ooooh yummo! And I love your baking dish!
This honestly looks like one of your best recipes to date! Can’t wait to try!
This looks amazing… I would definitely prefer this to regular mac and cheese any day!
Gotta try this one, too!
Best looking mac and cheese i’ve ever seen!
there is nothing about this recipe i would ever eat. LOL. I love you though and let’s just cut the mac and chick and grab some stiff drinks! I need one!
Nice 2nd ad unit. I got mine goin’ today too :)
Too cute! This macaroni looks delicious. I love souped up comfort food :)
I like mac and cheese any way you dish it up!
Wow this looks amazing (but without the bacon, I don’t eat pork haha)
I looove Mac and Cheese! For my birthday this year we had chicken mac and cheese, it was heavenly! : )
oh, today on my blog is mac and cheese too :) but without chicken, so maybe next time? :)
have a nice time!
Paula
The mac n’ cheese looks absolutely delicious! I have to make it! (I am going to ask my mom if I can make it for dinner after vacation.) :-)
This looks delicious!
Your mac and cheese looks so fancy :)
Now that I picked myself up off the floor from greedy shock, I’d really like to make this. That “heavy cream” ingredient is one of the Masters of all things delectable.
Now this is just down right sinful!
I had bacon mac&cheese in a restaurant recently…I am still thinking about it;)
Congrats on being the featured Tasty Kitchen Recipe today, thats awesome!
Ooo anything mac and cheese is to-die-for! I am in love with buffalo chicken mac and cheese as well. It’s all good!
This is no ordinary mac and cheese! Sounds fab!
This looks awesome! I’ll have to try it!
My arteries say “nooooooo…” but my taste buds say “yesssssss!”
What size baking dish?? I’m dying to make this!!!
OMG this looks DIVINE!
I plan on making this next week!
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Hello!
Do you think it would work to make this the day before and pop it in the oven the next day?
Thanks! Looks fantastic!
Definitely!
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I am going to make this tonight for dinner. Totally in the mood for some major comfort food (cold, gray, rainy day here) and this fits the bill! But instead of having a “side” of chicken with it, as Mr. How Sweet did, I think I’ll have a “side” of bacon!
This was delicious!
Next time I’m going to increase the amount of Gruyere sauce I make and substitute the bacon with pancetta (yum)!
It is disorienting when you have the picture upside down, i feel like i’m falling out of my seat.
This is the recipe they made on Chicago Fire last night…..I am making this tomorrow!
A VERY similar version of this recipe was featured on the TV show Chicago Fire last month…it sounded so good, I googled the ingredients & found your recipe! Can’t wait to try it!
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Just made this and there was so much pasta! I had to use two pans! Do you really use 1.5 lbs of pasta when you make this?
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wow, chicken mac and cheese is perfect for my lunch today :)