Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Chicken
If macaroni and cheese fell in love with broccoli cheddar soup, had a baby when they felt emotionally and financially ready to handle the responsibility of parenting, that baby would be Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Chicken–a super easy and delicious dinner to make any night of the week! AND I’ve got some tips and tricks for reheating it to perfection so you can enjoy leftovers this super simple dish any time! Add this to your dinner rotation right meow!
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I’m not really a fan of broccoli cheddar soup. I prefer my soups to be broth-y rather than thick and cheesy or potato-y. But I love broccoli and cheddar together, so instead of making a soup that I wouldn’t even like, I made it into a classic favorite–mac and cheese! Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite things to eat (and make). I will always have a soft spot for the O.G. Kraft, and I make Velveeta Shells & Cheese on just about every camping trip I go on. But nothing will ever beat a homemade stovetop mac and cheese, because it comes together SO quickly and is full of REAL cheesy goodness.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup-Inspired Mac and Cheese with Chicken
This is one of my absolute favorite meals when I’m craving something comforting and nostalgic, but still high in protein and with a vegetable snuck in. Mac and cheese on its own is a great side, but add some perfectly seasoned chicken and some steamed broccoli and you’ve got yourself a whole MEAL! It’s comforting, nourishing, filling, and most of all, it’s delicious AF.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’ll bring you back to childhood. Any mac and cheese with bright orange shredded cheddar reminds me of childhood, but like, healthier-ish.
- It’l a pasta version of your favorite soup! Not my favorite soup, though, as I’ve mentioned. But Broccoli Cheddar Soup has a bit of a cult following. Are you in a cult?!
- It’s really simple to make. Seriously, look at the ingredients list below. It’s not super complicated, and it’s all made in (almost) one pot on the stovetop!
- It’s delicious. What more can you ask for? Cheese, chicken, vegetables, pasta. Basically, the four main food groups.
Ingredients for Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese
- Broccoli. The star vegetable of the show. You’ll steam or blanch the broccoli before adding it to the mac and cheese.
- Cheddar. Of course, it is best to use a block of cheddar and shred it yourself because store-bought shredded cheese is coated with cellulose to prevent it from clumping together, but that’s not the best for your sauce. BUT, in a pinch, if it’s all you have, go ahead and use the store bought shredded cheese.
- Chicken. Boneless and skinless is the key here. Whether you’re a breasts girl or a thighs guy is none of my business.
- Butter and flour. The combination of fat and flour make a roux, which is the thickening agent for that luscious and cheesy sauce!
- Chicken broth. This is kind of an optional ingredient. You’re really only using a small amount to help deglaze the pan after adding your roux.
- Milk. Sure, you could use heavy cream or half and half if you want a really thick and creamy sauce, but I thought to lighten up this hearty meal and use 2%. I would recommend 2% or whole for this recipe. Definitely not 1% or skim milk.
- Spices and seasonings. I used paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper for my chicken. If you want to go rogue and add something else, I’d suggest onion powder, and maybe a little cayenne to bring some heat to the dish.
- Dijon and hot sauce. If you don’t already have these ingredients on hand, it’s okay to skip them. BUT if you DO have these items in your pantry, a little bit goes a long way!
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Keep on scrolling to get all of the measurements and detailed steps in the recipe card. Here is a brief overview of the cooking process, with photos!
- Blanch the broccoli. To blanch broccoli, cut it into florets, then bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the broccoli. Cook for 2-3 minutes until bright green in color. Then, immediately transfer it to a bowl of ice water for 1-2 minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain completely, then chop the broccoli into bite-sized chunks. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken. Season the chicken with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Cook chicken for 6-7 minutes each side, until internal temperature reads 165ºF with a meat thermometer. Let rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes before cutting into bite sized cubed pieces.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta 1-2 minutes short of al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain. Start cooking the pasta when the chicken is almost done cooking to try to line up the timing of the cooked pasta with the finished sauce.
- Make the roux. In the same pan used to cook the chicken, reduce the heat to medium and add butter and flour. Whisk constantly so there are no clumps. The roux will begin to have a nutty aroma and start to deepen in color.
- Add liquid. Slowly add chicken broth to the pan, a couple tablespoons at a time. Constantly whisk to incorporate it into the roux, ensuring there are no clumps before adding the milk. Slowly add in the milk a little bit at a time while constantly whisking, again ensuring there are no clumps before adding more milk.
- Add cheese and seasonings. Once the sauce base is whisked perfectly and clump-free, remove the pan from the heat and add in the cheese a little bit at a time. Whisk constantly to ensure the cheese melts perfectly into the sauce without clumps. Whisk dijon and hot sauce into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add pasta, broccoli, and chicken. Add the cooked pasta into the pan and gently fold it into the sauce. Let the pasta simmer in the sauce to finish cooking for another minute. Then add the chopped broccoli and cubed chicken and gently fold it into the pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, to loosen up the sauce.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. I would not recommend freezing broccoli cheddar mac and cheese.
To reheat this mac and cheese, my preferred method is to reheat in a non-stick pot on the stovetop with a little bit of water or milk to help loosen up the sauce. Put a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat and add your leftover mac and cheese. Add 1-2 tablespoons of liquid (water, milk, or cream) and stir. The mac and cheese will probably be clumpy at first but the liquid and heat will help break it down into a smooth sauce again. Continue stirring occasionally until fully heated through, adding more liquid as needed.
Tips for Success
- Make sure. your broccoli and chicken are cut into small, bite-sized chunks. Think about creating the perfect bite. Nobody wants a massive broccoli floret to throw off the pasta-to-chicken-to-broccoli ratio that creates the perfect bite.
- Slightly undercook your pasta. The pasta will continue cooking slightly when added to the hot cheese sauce, so undercook the pasta slightly to make sure your end result isn’t a bowl full of soggy noods.
- Have your mise en place, which is a fancy way of saying make sure all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to use. You don’t want to be caught still shredding cheese while your roux needs to be constantly whisked because you don’t want to burn your roux!
- Whisk the roux until there are no clumps left. Slowly add in the chicken broth and milk a little bit at a time and whisk it into the roux completely before adding more liquid. This will ensure a smooth sauce free of clumps!
FAQs
Why add dijon mustard to mac and cheese?
I learned the trick of adding dijon to mac and cheese sauces back in college when I learned how to make a copycat Panera Bread White Cheddar Mac and Cheese. Dijon doesn’t add a strong mustard flavor to a sauce, but it does add some brightness and tang to the sauce. Dijon can help accentuate the cheesy flavors and make the sauce even more delicious! Definitely use dijon and not a bright yellow mustard. A little bit goes a long way here, too. All you need is a teaspoon!
What is the purpose of adding hot sauce to mac and cheese?
Similar to the concept of adding mustard to a cheese sauce, adding hot sauce helps to provide some balance to the sauce by cutting through the richness of the cheese with some acidity. A little bit goes a long way here, too. It’s not going to make your sauce spicy, but it’ll enhance the flavor of the cheese and make this dish even more delicious!
Why do I need to shred a block of cheese instead of buying shredded cheese?
Shredded cheese is often coated with cellulose to help prevent the cheese from getting hot and sticky and clumping together in the bag. So while a bag of shredded cheese is a great thing to have on hand for those late night trips to the fridge to eat handfuls of shredded cheese straight from the bag, it’s not the best option for a mac and cheese sauce because it could lead to a grainy texture in your sauce. We want a smooth cheese sauce, not a starchy and grainy sauce.
What’s the best pasta shape for this mac and cheese?
I am personally a huge fan of Trader Joe’s Fusilli Bucati Corti pasta, so if you have access to that, I highly recommend it! Cavatappi is kind of similar in shape, so that’s my second best recommendation. My third suggestion would be shells, because I love how shells collect and hold onto sauce. Basically, any ribbed pasta is great for mac and cheese because ridges in pasta helps the sauce bind to the noodles. So, long story short, ribbed pasta for your mac and cheese pleasure.
What other cheeses can I add to mac and cheese?
This recipe as written only calls for sharp (yellow) cheddar cheese, but you can also add some shredded mozzarella, which creates strings of melted cheese for the cheese pull we all strive for. You can add some gouda or white cheddar, too!
What is a roux and why do I need it for this cheese sauce?
A roux is a mixture of equal parts fat and flour, used as a thickening agent for sauces, soups, or stews. A roux is necessary for this mac and cheese recipe to ensure the base of the sauce is nice and thick so the cheese can easily melt and incorporate into the sauce without being watery or stringy. I totally spaced out once and forgot to start with a roux, so when I tried to melt the cheese into warm milk, it was a complete fail!
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Box grater
- Large pot
- Large skillet
Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese with Chicken
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Mac and Cheese
- Cuisine: American
Description
Broccoli cheddar mac and cheese is the perfect easy weeknight meal! It’s hearty, cheesy, and incredibly delicious and it comes together quickly!
Ingredients
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1–1.5lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8oz pasta
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup chicken broth (or just use 1/4 cup milk)
- 1.5 cups 2% or whole milk
- 1 tsp dijon (optional)
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce (optional)
- 6oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Blanch the broccoli. Cut a broccoli head into florets, then bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the broccoli. Cook for 2-3 minutes until bright green in color. Immediately transfer the broccoli to a bowl of ice water for 1-2 minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain completely, then chop the broccoli into bite-sized chunks. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken. Season the chicken with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. In a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Cook chicken for 6-7 minutes each side, until internal temperature reads 165ºF with a meat thermometer. Remove the chicken from the pan and let it rest on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes before cutting into bite sized cubed pieces.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 1-2 minutes short of al dente (it shouldn’t feel crunchy in the center of the noodle, but shouldn’t be perfectly soft yet). Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, then drain. Timing tip: Start cooking the pasta when the chicken is almost done cooking to try to line up the timing of the cooked pasta with the finished sauce.
- Make the roux. In the same pan used to cook the chicken, reduce the heat to medium and add butter and flour. Whisk constantly so there are no clumps. The roux will begin to have a nutty aroma and start to deepen in color. You’ll scrape up some of the fond from the pan with the whisk in the process.
- Add liquid. Slowly add chicken broth to the pan, a couple tablespoons at a time. Constantly whisk to incorporate it into the roux, ensuring there are no clumps before adding the milk. Slowly add in the milk a little bit at a time while constantly whisking, again ensuring there are no clumps before adding more milk.
- Add cheese and seasonings. Once the sauce base is whisked perfectly and clump-free, remove the pan from the heat and add in the cheese a little bit at a time. Whisk constantly to ensure the cheese melts perfectly into the sauce without clumps. Whisk dijon and hot sauce into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add pasta, broccoli, and chicken. Return the pan with the sauce to medium-low heat. Add the cooked pasta into the pan and gently fold it into the sauce. Let the pasta simmer in the sauce to finish cooking for another minute. Then add the chopped broccoli and cubed chicken and gently fold it into the pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of pasta water a few tablespoons at a time to loosen up the sauce.
Notes
- Timing is everything for this mac and cheese dish, because once the sauce comes together, everything needs to happen pretty quickly! I suggest getting all of your ingredients measured out and ready to go before you even start cooking. Half your cheese shredded, your broccoli cut into florets, your chicken seasoned, and all other ingredients measured out.
- As far as timing the cooking process goes, I would start by blanching the broccoli while you start to cook the chicken. The chicken will take about 15 minutes to cook without much active cook time, which gives you plenty of time to cook, cool, and chop the broccoli. When the chicken is halfway done, start boiling water for your pasta. When the chicken finishes cooking, let it rest while you prepare the roux. After you’ve reached the point where you’ve added all of the milk to the roux, take a moment to cut the chicken into cubes while the sauce heats up. Then return to the sauce the add your cheese. At this point, your pasta should be almost done, and your broccoli and chicken already cut, so it’s as easy as putting everything together in the pan!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 744
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 1102.6 mg
- Fat: 30.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 54.1 g
- Protein: 59.9 g
- Cholesterol: 189.1 mg
