The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen
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Chicken Mac and Cheese

4.85 Mitt(s) 7 Rating(s)7 votes, average: 4.85 out of 57 votes, average: 4.85 out of 57 votes, average: 4.85 out of 57 votes, average: 4.85 out of 57 votes, average: 4.85 out of 5

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Level: Intermediate

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Description

Whole wheat pasta with creamy cheese sauce, caramelized peppers and onions, crispy bacon and chicken.

Ingredients

  • 1-½ pound Whole Wheat Pasta
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • ½ whole Sweet Onion, Chopped
  • ½ whole Red Pepper, Chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter
  • 1 Tablespoon Flour
  • 2 cups Milk
  • ½ cups Heavy Cream
  • 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • ½ cups Shredded Smoked Gruyere
  • ½ cups Parmesan
  • 1 pinch Nutmeg
  • 2 whole Boneless Chicken Breasts, Grilled And Chopped
  • 3 slices Bacon, Fried And Crumbled

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F.

Boil water for pasta and cook according to directions. In a skillet, add the olive oil over medium heat and saute onions and red pepper. While water is boiling, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add butter and flour and whisk together to create a roux. Add milk and cream, stirring constantly. Add cheeses and a pinch of nutmeg, stirring consistently for 5-8 minutes until mixture thickens.

In a baking dish, layer pasta, chicken, pepper and onion mixture, and bacon, Add half of the cheese sauce, then more pasta, chicken, peppers, onion and bacon. Add remaining cheese sauce.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

9 Comments

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darcie on 1.25.2013

I just put this in the oven, and I wish I would have read the comments beforehand. I thought 1.5 lbs of pasta looked like too much, but now I’m sure that I just spent a lot of time and effort to not get a good result. It would be great if you would revise this recipe. If you never use 1.5 lbs of pasta in it, why would you list that? I also couldn’t get the cheese sauce to thicken without adding much more cheese. Not sure if this is due to the kind of milk you use. I use whole milk.

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HowSweetEats on 11.18.2010

Cylina – I used 1 pound, but it depends on the type of pasta you use. Start with about 3/4 pound.

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cylina on 11.15.2010

im thinking of making this for a church get together.. the pasta amount is 1/2 a pound right?

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sandyI on 10.18.2010

It was yummy. Way too much pasta though. I only cooked 1 lb of pasta. I put it in a 13×9 pan and had at least 1/3 of the pasta left over (unused) and the pan was full. Perhaps you meant 1/2 lb. pasta rather than 1 and 1/2 lbs. (someone in the reviews section mentioned this). It is unclear in the recipe.

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mommaof4 on 9.23.2010

This was super yummy!

7 Reviews

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lovemesomebuggy on 3.2.2011

This is insanely delicious!! I kept it very simple. I ommitted the peppers, onions, and bacon (on a tight grocery budget this week). In the cheese sauce I added red pepper flakes, salt, onion powder, and a tiny dash of Cayenne pepper. This gave it a lovely kick! I also used shredded boiled chicken breast. And in my opinion, the dish really didn’t need bacon, I think it would have masked the flavor of the cheese sauce. I broiled the last few minutes in the oven to give the top layer of cheese a slight crunchiness. I will definitely be making this again!! :)

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momma2girls on 11.3.2010

This was very good. I actually was hoping for more flavor than what I tasted. My girls cleaned their plates as did my hubby and I. Hubby suggested throwing tomatoes in as well. I may try that next time. Thanks for a kid friendly yummy recipe.

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iamcaressa on 10.8.2010

This is the second time I’ve made this and RAVE about it to everyone. Seriously—my office knows this recipe because of how often I’ve talked about it. It’s FANTASTIC. Perfect mac & cheese. Thanks for sharing!

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tysgirl on 8.31.2010

This is delicious! My family loved it–what a treat!

One thing though: I thought the recipe said to use one and a half pounds of pasta. (I couldn’t tell…) But, I think it just is to use one half pound of pasta. I am glad I didn’t add all the pasta I cooked! :)

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meeshiesmom on 8.24.2010

Made this for dinner last night. Very tasty and easy. Thanks for sharing.

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