Macaroni and Cheese is one of my go to comfort foods, and just warms my tummy and heart <3. It is perfect to have as a side dish, or as main meal with chicken on top, It is especially delicious during cold winter months, when you want to hibernate in your house, and snuggle on the couch. I recently made it with red pepper garlic crusted chicken, peas and carrots. I will be sharing the recipe below.
It takes about an hour total and is enough for 4 people. I like to cook enough to have left overs for my husband and I, since it does take a little while to cook. The macaroni and cheese reheats well, by just adding a tiny bit of milk and putting it back on the stove top.
Be prepared you will have people begging you to make the macaroni and cheese after they have tried it :).
You will need a 3 quart non stick pan.
2% milk: 3 cups
All purpose flour: 1/2 cup
Yogurt butter: 2 heaping tbsp
Kosher Salt: 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper:1/2 tsp
Red pepper Flakes: 1/2 tsp
Garlic Powder: 3/4 tsp
1/2 cup shredded velveeta
2 slices of pepper jack
1/2 cup of mozzarella ( I prefer a mozz blend)
3/4 cup of cheddar ( I prefer a cheddar blend)
1 egg
1 1/2 cup of panko italian breadcrumbs
4 chicken breasts
bag of frozen peas
6 carrots
12 oz of pasta – I like to use fiori (they are cute and look like flowers)
I prefer to use brummel and brown butter, but you can use any butter. You can make it richer if you substitute half and half for a cup of milk.
I cook the chicken first, and when the chicken is baking I then cook my sauce.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Crack your egg into a bowl and fluff it well with a fork, and place the breadcrumbs on a plate. Next, you dip your chicken breasts in the egg until each breast is fully covered. Take the chicken breasts one at a time and lay it on the bread crumbs; make sure that you cover the breasts fully on both sides. After they are covered in bread crumbs transfer them to a glass pan that has been coated with a non stick spray. Lastly, sprinkle 1/4 tsp of salt, pepper, garlic and a dash of red pepper flakes on both sides of the chicken. Once oven is done preheating, put the chicken in, uncovered for 30 minutes.
Place the 3 qt pan on the stove with medium heat, I use a non stick pan, so the sauce does not stick to the bottom and burn.
First you melt the butter in the pan. Once, it is fully melted add the seasoning, garlic powder,red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the flour and whisk until it forms a roux (ball)
From here, you keep the pan off the heat and add a cup of milk. It is really important to remember to take the pan off of the heat, If you forget to take it off the heat, the sauce will taste like flour no matter how long you cook it.
Continue mixing with the whisk. It will start to thicken. Place the pan back on the heat, and now add another cup of milk. Continuously whisk the sauce. As it starts to get thicker, you will be able to feel the resistance against the whisk. Add the remainder of the milk.
Once majority of the flour has dissolved, and the sauce has a milkshake consistency, bring it to a gradual boil for 8-10 minutes, this cooks the flour and brings out the flavor of the sauce. Even if the sauce is a bit runny, do not worry. It will thicken up when you add the cheese. Every couple of minutes, stir the sauce with a wooden spoon, as it will be too thick for whisk now.
The sauce now is your standard white sauce, it can be used as a topping on vegetables, ex cauliflower or leeks, or as a base for Alfredo sauce.
Since you have a few minutes here, I prepare the veggies and the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package. I cook mine a few minutes less because I add them to the sauce when its done, and it continues to cook for a few minutes.
For the peas and carrrots, I keep it simple by just steaming them and adding butter once they are done. Peel the carrots and cut them in strips. The carrots take about 16 min. Since the peas only take a few minutes, I steam the carrots first, and add the peas near the 12 min mark.
Once your veggies and pasta are cooking, last step is to add the cheese, I add it a little bit at a time and stir continuously. You can add as much or little as you want. I really enjoy mine cheesy, so I always add that extra pinch of cheese ;).
Let the sauce simmer for 5-10 min. Add the noodles to your sauce.
Chicken should be done, and waaalaah your meal is ready to be served!
I would love your feedback on what you thought of my recipe and anything you might have done differently to make it your own!
Until my next cooking extravangza,
Annie
xxoo
Leave a Reply