Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese

This Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese is comfort food, but fancy! Delicious flavors and cheesy goodness will make this dish a family favorite in your home, too.

Mac and Cheese but Make it Fancy

Who doesn’t love a good mac and cheese?! But this isn’t just ANY mac and cheese recipe — this tuscan chicken mac and cheese takes traditional mac up to a fancy pants level of deliciousness.

How to Make Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to make this delicious mac:

Prepare the Noodles

Good news for you is that you can use pretty much any kind of noodle your heart desires for this recipe. We went with cavatappi noodles (the fun pasta in these photos!), but here are some of our other faves. Just remember, you’ll need about 8oz. pasta:

• linguini
• angel hair
• bow ties
• macaroni
• penne
• fusilli
• bucatini

To make your pasta, bring water and salt to a boil. Once boiling, add in the pasta. Check the back of your pasta box for the proper cook time. Cook until al dente.

Time for chicken prep

Next, add the salt, pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes into a bowl and mix. You’ll use this for your chicken seasoning!

Place the raw chicken on a cutting board, and then place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the chicken. Pound the chicken with a meat cleaver until the chicken is the same thickness throughout (about 1/2 inch thickness).

Sprinkle the chicken with the seasoning, and be sure the entire chicken breast is covered with the seasonings. 

Cook the Seasoned Chicken: Next, heat a large skillet over medium/high heat, and add olive oil from the sun dried tomatoes — this provides such great flavor! Sear each side of the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the chicken reaches the internal temperature of 165ºF.

Remove chicken from the pan, let cool, and then cut the chicken into chunks.

Saute those veggies

Keep the olive oil and chicken juices in your skillet — again, do it for the flavors! Add:

• onions
• garlic
• spinach
• thyme
• oregano

to the juices and cook for 4-5 minutes. Then, add the sun-dried tomatoes, toss and remove from heat.

Time for cheese sauce

Prepare the cheese sauce by heating a large pot over medium/high heat, and then adding butter. 

When the butter is melted add flour to the butter and whisk until a crumble or paste forms. 

Turn heat to medium and slowly add the milk to the pot, stirring constantly until the milk thickens. When the milk thickens, add:

• salt
• thyme
• oregano
• cheddar
• parmesan
• mozzarella
• olive oil

to the sauce and stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick. 

enjoy, cheese lovers!

Finally, add the noodles, vegetables, and chicken to the cheese sauce and mix until combined. Heat over medium/high heat until everything is hot. 

Season with salt and pepper and enjoy this delicious tuscan chicken mac and cheese! 

How to Store Mac and Cheese

Store this mac and cheese in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

Reheating Mac and Cheese

The key to reheating mac and cheese is to add a little moisture (milk works great!) since the noodles continue to absorb moisture even after it’s originally cooked, and to reheat low and slow to avoid the cheese breaking down and changing texture.

If you have time to reheat your mac and cheese in the oven, that is a great method! Simply add a little milk (start with a tablespoon, and go up from there depending on how much mac you’re reheating!), and stir thoroughly before covering an oven-safe dish and placing in the oven at 350°F.

You’ll need 10-20 minutes of reheating time, depending on how much mac you’re reheating.

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese

This Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese is comfort food, but fancy! Delicious flavors and cheesy goodness will make this dish a family favorite in your home, too.

Prep: 15 minutesCook: 30 minutesTotal: 45 minutes

Fat 22 Carbs 19 Protein 28

Yield 4–6 servings 1x

1x2x3x

Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cavatappi noodles
• 1 teaspoon salt, separated
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 8.5 oz. Bella Sun Luci Tomatoes, with Italian Herbs, Julienne Cut, drained from the olive oil
• 3 tablespoons olive oil from the sun dried tomatoes, separated
• 1 medium white onion, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups packed spinach, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

Cheese Sauce

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/3 cup shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil from the sun dried tomatoes

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Instructions

1. Being by cooking the noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 
2. Add the noodles, stir, and follow the direction on the back of the package. Strain the noodles and set aside. 
3. Next, add the salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes into a bowl and mix. Set aside.
4. Prepare the chicken breast by placing the raw chicken on a cutting board. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the chicken. Pound the chicken with a meat cleaver until the chicken is the same thickness throughout (about 1/2 inch thickness).
5. Sprinkle the chicken with the seasoning in the bowl. Be sure the entire chicken breast is covered with the seasonings. 
6. Next, heat a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add olive oil from the sun dried tomatoes. When the olive oil is fragrant add the chicken to the pan. Sear each side of the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side or until the chicken reaches the internal temperature of 165ºF. Remove chicken from the pan, let cool, and then cut the chicken into chunks. Set aside. 
7. Keep the olive oil and chicken juices in the skillet. Add onions, garlic, spinach, thyme, and oregano to the juices and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes, toss and remove from heat. Set aside. 
8. Prepare the cheese sauce by heating a large pot over medium/high heat. Add butter. 
9. When the butter is melted add flour to the butter and whisk until a crumble or paste forms. 
10. Turn heat to medium and slowly add the milk to the pot, stirring constantly until the milk thickens. When the milk thickens, add the salt, thyme, oregano, cheddar, parmesan, mozzarella, and olive oil to the sauce and stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is thick. 
11. Finally, add the noodles, vegetables, and chicken to the cheese sauce and mix until combined. Heat over medium/high heat until everything is hot. 
12. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy! 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/6 recipe Calories: 369 Sugar: 9 Sodium: 754 Fat: 22 Carbohydrates: 19 Fiber: 3 Protein: 28 Cholesterol: 86

Author: Linley RichterCategory: PastaMethod: Stove TopCuisine: American

Keywords: tuscan chicken mac and cheese

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