Chicken Mac N Cheese With Broccoli And Cauliflower Recipes

BROCCOLI CHICKEN MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cook pasta al dente** in a large stockpot of generously-salted water, according to package instructions. About 2-3 minutes before the pasta reaches al dente, add in the broccoli florets and let them cook alongside the pasta for the remainder of the cooking time. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, as the pasta water is heating, melt butter in a (separate) medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the flour until combined and cook for an additional 1 minute, whisking occasionally. Slowly whisk in vegetable or chicken stock until the mixture is smooth. Then slowly whisk in the milk until it is combined. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a simmer. Then remove from heat, and stir in the cheddar, Parmesan, salt and pepper until the cheese sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.
• Once the pasta and broccoli are cooked, pour the cheese sauce on top of the pasta, add in the chicken, and toss until everything is evenly combined.
• At this point, you can either serve the pasta stovetop-style as-is. Or pour the pasta into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with extra cheddar cheese and Panko breadcrumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top becomes slightly crispy and the breadcrumbs are slightly golden. Remove and serve immediately.
• *To cook the chicken breasts on the stove top, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan. Pound chicken to even thickness, and sprinkle both sides with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Add to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside. (Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken.) Or, to bake the chicken breasts in the oven, follow these instructions.
• **If making the baked version of this dish, I recommend ever-so-slightly undercooking your pasta, as it will cook a bit more while it bakes in the oven.

BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER GRATIN MAC N CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Salt the water and add the broccoli and cauliflower florets. Boil the vegetables for 5 minutes, then remove them with a spider or a strainer and drain. Add the pasta to the water and undercook by about 2 minutes, drain.
• Meanwhile, combine the sour cream in a large bowl along with the mustard, chives, garlic, hot sauce and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the pasta and cauliflower and 2/3 of the cheese. Stir to combine, then transfer it to a casserole or baking dish and cover with the remaining cheese. Cool and chill for a make-ahead meal.
• To heat and eat, put the casserole on baking sheet and bake it in the middle of a preheated 375 degree F oven until deeply golden and bubbly, about 40 to 45 minutes.

CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and broccoli and cook for 5 minutes; the pasta will only be about halfway cooked. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and broccoli and return them to the pot.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes; set aside.
• Put the pot with the pasta and broccoli over low heat. Stir in the milk, flour, mustard, Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the pasta is al dente, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the Cheddar, Pecorino-Romano, Parmesan, cooked chicken and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water and stir until the cheese melts. Gradually add the remaining cooking water as needed until the pasta is creamy and saucy. Serve hot.

CHEESY CHICKEN-BROCCOLI-CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine 1/2 the mushroom soup and an equal amount of water in a saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken. Bring to a simmer and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Heat 1 frozen, unopened bag of cauliflower and broccoli mix in the microwave until hot, 4 to 6 minutes. Let stand about 2 minutes; open bag and transfer vegetables to a bowl. Repeat with remaining bag.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add milk and salt; stir in remaining cream of mushroom soup. Add flour slowly, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps. Add Cheddar cheese. Cook and stir until cheese sauce is thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic powder.
• Layer half the cooked vegetables into the bottom of a baking pan or casserole dish. Add half of the cooked chicken. Pour in half the cheese sauce. Add a light layer of bread crumbs. Add remaining vegetables, remaining chicken, and remaining cheese sauce. Top with a light layer of bread crumbs. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, 20 to 30 minutes.

BROCCOLI-CAULIFLOWER MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Steam broccoli and cauliflower until just tender.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 3 quart baking dish.
• Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package directions.
• While pasta cooks, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Ass flour and shallot, and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. In a slow stream, add milk,whisking constantly. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Cook for 2-4 minutes until thickened.
• Off heat, add salt and cheeses, stirring until cheese is just melted. Combine pasta with cheese sauce, broccoli and cauliflower, and pour the mixture into a baking dish.
• Bake until sizzling and lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.