Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese
Try this Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 pound dry pasta (i used small shells but you could use macaroni or any shape of pasta)
- 1 bunch broccoli cut into bite-sized florets
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup milk warmed
- 2 1/2 cups freshly-grated cheddar cheese (i recommend sharp c
- 1/2 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon finely-ground black pepper or more to taste
- 2 cooked* boneless skinless chicken breasts (*see instructio
- (optional topping for the baked version) 1/2 cup e
- Carbohydrate 6.02007582937398 g
- Cholesterol 20.3533333420617 mg
- Fat 7.69091333662615 g
- Fiber 0.0524999976158142 g
- Protein 0.239466666701174 g
- Saturated Fat 4.86506233541872 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -8 serving (131g)
- Sodium 211.619666690051 mg
- Sugar 5.96757583175817 g
- Trans Fat 0.541292333563843 g
- Calories 92 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta al dente** in a large stockpot of salted water according to package instructions.
- About 2-3 minutes before the pasta reaches al dente, add in the broccoli florets and let them cook alongside the pasta for the remainder of the cooking time.
- Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, as the pasta water is heating, melt butter in a (separate) medium saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk in the flour until combined and cook for an additional 1 minute, whisking occasionally.
- Slowly whisk in vegetable or chicken stock until the mixture is smooth.
- Then slowly whisk in the milk until it is combined.
- Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a simmer.
- Then remove from heat, and stir in the cheddar, Parmesan, salt and pepper until the cheese sauce is smooth.
- Remove from heat. Once the pasta and broccoli are cooked, pour the cheese sauce on top of the pasta, add in the chicken, and toss until everything is evenly combined. At this point, you can either serve the pasta stovetop-style as-is.
- Or pour the pasta into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with extra cheddar cheese and Panko breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top becomes slightly crispy and the breadcrumbs are slightly golden.
- Remove and serve immediately. *To cook the chicken breasts on the stove top, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan.
- Pound chicken to even thickness, and sprinkle both sides with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper.
- Add to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside.
- (Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken.)
- Or, to bake the chicken breasts in the oven, follow these instructions. **If making the baked version of this dish, I recommend ever-so-slightly undercooking your pasta, as it will cook a bit more while it bakes in the oven.
Balancing multiple pans for a single casserole requires precise timing to avoid a chaotic kitchen layout. This formulation streamlines the process by utilizing the boiling pasta water to blanch the broccoli florets during the final two minutes of boiling, eliminating the need for a separate steamer pot.
- Use a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan for the roux to prevent scorching the milk and flour base; thin-gauge metal hotspots will break the emulsion.
- Grate blocks of sharp cheddar by hand rather than buying pre-bagged shreds, which are coated in cellulose and resist smooth melting into the sauce.
- Whisk the stock into the flour paste in a slow, continuous stream to prevent lump formation before introducing the warm milk.
- Undercook the pasta by roughly two minutes if opting for the baked finish at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring the starch holds its structure beneath the breadcrumb crust.
Pair this heavy baked dish with a sharp, acidic green salad dressed simply in lemon juice to cut through the richness of the cheese sauce. Leftovers store safely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
