Chicken Mac and Cheese

This extra creamy Chicken Mac and Cheese is easy to make in one skillet and has the BEST cheese sauce with juicy bites of seared chicken and savory pasta shells.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Total Time50

Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 563kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

Sauce

1 ½ cups half and half
½ cup chicken broth
½ chicken bouillon cube
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, parsley
¼ teaspoon EACH: paprika, pepper

Chicken, Pasta, Cheese, etc.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
Salt/pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup dry white wine see notes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 ¾ cups shredded cheddar cheese see notes
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ lb. small or medium shells see notes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Combine the sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
Begin boiling a pot of salted water for the pasta while you proceed with the following steps.
Slice the chicken in half lengthwise to create 2-3 thinner slices. Cover with saran wrap and use the textured side of a meat mallet to pound it to ½ inch thick.
Pat the chicken dry and season each side with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken in batches for 4-5 minutes per side, until a golden crust has developed. Set aside and let rest for 10 minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
Turn the heat off. Add the wine and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet, this will add more flavor to the sauce. Reduce the wine by half, about 4-5 minutes.
Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the raw flour smell is gone.
Add the sauce mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. Be sure to do this slowly to maintain the thickness of the sauce.
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, while you cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain once cooked. Stir the sauce occasionally as the pasta cooks.
Reduce the heat of the sauce to low. Gradually sprinkle in the cheese, stirring continuously, until combined.
Add the drained pasta and the cooked chicken and stir to combine. There will be a lot of cheese sauce, but the pasta will continue to absorb it upon standing. Serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:

Pasta: I use small shells for this, but you can also use medium shells, macaroni, cavatappi, and fusilli.
Wine: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc are my go-to dry white wines for this recipe. My next recommendation would be non-alcoholic white wine, which is widely available. While the wine does really elevate this, chicken broth can be used instead.
Cheese Choices: Use any combination of soft cheeses that you enjoy the flavor of. Best options include any combination of yellow/orange/white cheddar, gouda, gruyere, and Parmesan. Mozzarella may be used but is a bit more mild. Whatever cheese you choose will dictate the flavor of the cheese sauce.
I love using Cracker Barrel Sharp or Extra Sharp Yellow Cheddar, Castello Gouda, and Belgioioso Parmesan.
Shred the cheese from a block. Packaged shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting well into soups/sauces. Freshly shredded cheese also tastes best.
Cheese Sauce: This makes plenty of cheese sauce to coat the pasta and chicken, note that the pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it stands, it looks like a lot at first. You can also use a little more than 1/2 lb. of pasta and add it until your desired pasta/sauce ratio is obtained.
The Hot Sauce and Mustard Powder are flavor enhancers that you can't taste outright in this dish.
Lemon Juice: I love adding a tablespoon or so of fresh lemon juice to this at the end, it makes the other flavors pop!

Storage:

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
These leftovers reheat pretty well. I use the 'melt' setting on my microwave or you can reheat over 50% power. A makeshift double boiler reheats creamy pastas really well too!

Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition