WHITE CHEDDAR MAC AND CHEESE WITH CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI
Forget about cookies and cakes. Mac and cheese has become my go-to food. It’s a good thing that there are many variations of the traditional mac and cheese that you can make at home, which is why it never will get old. 🙂 This White Cheddar Mac and Cheese is easy, quick, simple, and slightly more rounded than regular mac and cheese. So, it’s a great meal option and ideal for busy evenings. The flavor is spicy, a bit garlicky, and bursting with the incredible fresh white cheddar. It’s simply tasty!
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb. pasta (any short shape) ($0.67)
1/2 lb. frozen broccoli florets ($1.30)
One boneless, skinless and skinless chicken breast (about 2/3 lb.) ($2.00)
One pinch of salt with pepper ($0.05)
1 Tbsp of cooking oil ($0.04)
1 Tbsp Butter ($0.26)
One c. evaporated milk ($0.53)
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic ($0.02)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
8 oz. White cheddar extra-sharp chopped ($1.75)
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring the water in a pot to a boil to cook the pasta. When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until tender. Add the broccoli florets that have been frozen to the boiling pot and the pasta, and cook for two minutes. Rinse the pasta and broccoli into a strainer.
While the pasta cooks while the pasta is cooking, you can prepare the chicken. Sprinkle both sides of the breast of the chicken with the addition of a pinch of spice and salt. Add one tablespoon of cooking oil to a deep skillet and heat to medium. Once the skillet is hot, swirl oil to coat the top of the pan, add the the chicken breast, and cook on both sides until the chicken is golden and cooked (about 5 to 7 mins each). Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board and let it sit for five minutes before cutting it into smaller cubes.
The heat in the pan is used to cook the chicken down to medium, and then put in the butter. Let the butter melt, then employ an electric whisk to scrape the bits of browned food off the pan’s surface. Pour into the milk that has evaporated, and continue to whisk until you melt the brown bits from the bottom.
Mix in the garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt in the evaporated milk. Once the evaporated milk has become hot, add the white cheddar, each handful, and whisk until the cheese is completely melted before adding the next one. After the cheese has gone through the whisking process in hot sauce, turn the heat down to a simmer.
Add the cooked, drained broccoli and pasta and the chicken chopped to the skillet, along with its cheese sauce. Stir until everything is well combined, and thoroughly coat the broccoli, pasta, and chicken with the sauce. Then, enjoy!
