Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

A take on classic American comfort food, this creamy and filling chicken macaroni and cheese is an easy weeknight dinner for a whole family.

An easy mac and cheese recipe with juicy tender chicken breast meat is such a staple homecooked meal in many households. You can’t really mess it up, and you also don’t need to be an extraordinary cook to make it taste better.

A big plus is that this awesome recipe is easy to customize and adjust to what you have in the fridge without sacrificing any flavors.

Another thing I love is when leftovers taste great the next day and I can simply reheat the dish and serve.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Absolutely delicious recipe that comes together in about 45 minutes.
• Kids favorite meal! Well, adults also love good mac and cheese, so it is a great recipe for a family dinner.
• Basic ingredients, very budget-friendly dinner recipe.
• Amazing recipe for a potluck.

Ingredients Notes

• Elbow macaroni – a classic choice for an easy macaroni and cheese recipe. To jazz things up, you can buy little shell pasta.
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces so that in one go you can grab some cheesy goodness, some pasta, and some chicken. You can also use shredded chicken.
• Olive oil. I use olive oil to cook chicken pieces, but you are free to use any other vegetable oil, or oil + butter to pre-cook the chicken.
• Onion and minced garlic or garlic powder.
• Sauce: butter, all-purpose flour (helps to thicken the sauce), chicken broth, and whole milk
• Shredded cheddar cheese, mild or sharp cheddar cheese, based on your preferences. Freshly shredded cheddar cheese melts better, so don’t buy pre-shredded cheddar cheese (it has anti-caking additives)
• Seasoning: salt, black pepper, and paprika. Paprika powder adds a little bit of Tuscan flavor.
• Fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Kitchen Equipment

• Large pot
• Large skillet

How To Make Chicken Mac And Cheese

1: Pre-Cook Pasta

Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions till al dente. Drain and set aside. Do not rinse.

2: Pre-Cook Chicken Breast

1. Add the chicken and olive oil to a large skillet and cook over medium heat. Season with salt and black pepper, and continue cooking until browned and fully cooked, about 7-8 minutes. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.
2. If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, just shred it and skip the cooking step.

3: Make The Sauce

1. Working in the same skillet, sauté the chopped onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes until softened.
2. Pro tip: before adding the onion you can deglaze the skillet with some white wine for extra flavors or broth (if the dish has to be kids-friendly). Don’t use cooking spray. Then melt butter, and proceed with flour as the recipe suggests.
3. Add flour and butter – keep cooking for 1 minute. The sauce will be slightly thickened already.
4. Mix in the milk and chicken broth, stirring continuously until the mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, black pepper, paprika, and salt until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is smooth. If the mixture keeps bubbling, reduce the heat.

4: Assemble Mac And Cheese

1. Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet, followed by the cooked macaroni – tossing to ensure everything is well combined and heated through.
2. Serve with a sprinkle of chopped parsley if desired or some celery sticks.

Storage

Store leftover chicken mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

The mac and cheese will thicken overnight as macaroni will soak up some of the moisture from the sauce. You can reheat it with a splash of milk or broth in a microwave at reduced power (50%) or in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes covered.

Substitutions & Variations

• Swap chicken breast with chicken thighs, leftover rotisserie chicken, ground turkey or beef, and, of course, some crumbled bacon as topping would be delicious.
• Sauce variations. You can make Buffalo chicken mac and cheese (simply add some buffalo sauce to the sauce mix and cook, stirring occasionally), spicy mac and cheese with jalapenos/cayenne/hot sauce and mustard, or get an extra creamy texture by adding cream cheese or sour cream instead of milk.
• Cheese substitutes. You can use mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack, or Gouda for the cheese sauce. Crumbled gorgonzola cheese makes an interesting topping if you like the flavor.
• The baked mac and cheese recipe uses the same ingredients. You still have to pre-cook pasta and chicken, then you mix the sauce ingredients together, layer everything in a prepared baking dish, and bake in a preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes at 350F. The bake time will depend on the size of the dish. My family loves baked mac and cheese with panko breadcrumbs for added texture (broil it a bit longer).
• Macaroni and cheese in a slow cooker will be a great dump-and-go dinner option where you can even use frozen chicken. You can cook chicken with cheese sauce in your crock pot on high for 3-4 hours. Boil the pasta separately and mix the two.
• To make this recipe gluten-free, skip whole wheat pasta and use alternative pasta made from quinoa, chickpea, or rice. Barilla has GF macaroni made of rice and corn.
• Bulk this dish up with more veggies: broccoli, mushrooms, eggplants, peas, or roasted peppers work amazing in mac and cheese.

Popular Questions

What Meat Goes Well With Mac And Cheese?

Lean chicken or turkey, bacon, ham, and ground beef pair well with creamy and cheesy macaroni and cheese recipes. Meat usually has to be pre-cooked before you can add it to the mac and cheese.

What Can I Add To Macaroni And Cheese?

To bulk up mac and cheese, you can mix in more meats, bacon, broccoli, gorgonzola cheese, panko crumbs for texture, hot sauce, dried mustard, peas, carrots, or even mushrooms.

What Not To Do When Making Mac And Cheese?

Do not overcook pasta, as it will make it too soft. Once the macaroni soaks the sauce up, it will become even softer and may end up mushy. 

If you love this easy dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other stovetop dinners too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Mac & Cheese Recipes

Easy Mac & Cheese

Gouda Mac and Cheese

Baked Mac and Cheese

Spicy Mac and Cheese

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