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Chicken Chili Cheese Mac

chicken chili cheese mac

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Chicken chili meets mac & cheese in this warm and hearty dish!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Chicken Chili

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 (14.5-ounce)can tomato sauce
  • 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

For the Macaroni and Cheese

  • 10 ounces gemilli pasta
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup cream
  • 3/4 cup 2% milk
  • 16 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

Make the Chili

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook them on both sides until a golden-brown crust starts to form, about 5 minutes each side. Remove the chicken from the pan.
  2. In the same pan, cook the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until softened. Add the chicken stock and scrape all of the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
  3. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, and salt and stir to combine. Place the whole chicken breasts in the pan. Bring the pan to a simmer and simmer it for about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and return it back to the pot to simmer for another 15 minutes.

Make the Macaroni and Cheese

  1. While the chili is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
  2. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot over low heat. Add the butter and stir it through the pasta until melted. Add the cream and milk. Stir in the cheese, in batches, until it’s melted. Once the cheese is melted, keep stirring the pasta until the cheese sauce starts to thicken.
  3. To serve: scoop some macaroni and cheese on to each plate. Top each with some of the chicken chili. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro (optional)

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