Baked Mac and Cheese with chicken and veg in Tales from the kitchen witch

3 chicken breast halves.
1 lb each broccoli, califlower and riced califlower
16 oz noodles of choice.

Sauce
1 stick butter
4 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flower

3 cups favorite cheeses
I used parmesan, ramono, cheddar, and shredded cheese blend we had in the kitchen from tacos.
1 cup mixed cheeses for topping.

Instructions
Sauté up chicken breasts with season of choice, I used garlic, shredded onion and seasoned salt. Set aside
Cook pasta and set aside ( or use leftover pasta)
Cook Veg and set aside.
While my set asides are cooking, make the cheese sauce.
Melt 1 stick of butter in a Dutch oven. Add in flour and Whisk while it gets melty and thick.
whisk 2 eggs and set aside in a small bowl.
Add 4 cups milk to the butter and whisk while it gets hot and thick. Dont boil!
Temper eggs with 1/2 cup hot milk liquid and whisk to mix well. Add egg mixture to bubbly milk.
Stir to mix in well. Do not boil. Boiling makes it go grainy.
Mix in 2 cups of cheeses. If you want a thicker cheese. Add MORE cheeses, seriously can NOT go wrong with more cheese

Once its mixed well, Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Stir well.

Mix in your “set asides” Pasta, veg and chicken. Stir well.

Top with additional 1 cup of cheeses. Taste your sauce, Is it cheesy enough? Add more cheeses, for more cheesy flavor you need sharper cheddars.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic, No really. Season it again.

Put lid on Dutch oven and put in the oven to “bake” for 15 minutes. Remove lid and broil on high for 5 if you want your toppings crispy.

Adjust for your not so colossal family size. Reduce by half to feed roughly 4-5 people. My bake fed 8 with no leftovers ( teenaged jerks eat everything)

I used a recipe builder to estimate nutrition. 400 calories per cup. Not bad!

Last updated November 12, 2023