Chicken Mac ‘n’ Cheese

I was really hungry last night and craving something it didn’t take a long time to cook.  Macaroni and cheese to the rescue!  I saw so many delicious Mac ‘n’ cheese recipes around that made me crave for some desperately.  And who doesn’t love mac ‘n’ cheese?

Mac ‘n’ cheese is one of my true comfort meals. I would add just about anything to make this. Vegetables, meat, chicken, extra cheese, anything.  Ok, tonight is chicken mac ‘n’ cheese time.  Trust me, chicken mac ‘n cheese is one of those comforting meals that makes you feel better no matter what the situation.

Mac ‘n cheese is elevated from a side dish to a main with the addition of chicken to this popular family favorite recipe.  Everything about the dish was just perfect.  This dish was loaded with chicken and cheese sauce.  The bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese crumbles, which floating on top of the chicken and macaroni also gave a great texture.  Plus, it took only 30 minutes to make, making it a hearty weeknight meal.

Chicken Mac ‘n’ Cheese

For recipe in Indonesian click HERE

Ingredients:

·         1 pound skinless, boneless, chicken breast, boiled and shredded

·         1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

·         1/2  teaspoon dried oregano

·         Salt and ground black pepper

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         12 ounces dried macaroni or penne pasta

·         1 medium onion, chopped

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         3 tablespoons butter

·         3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         2 tablespoons tomato paste

·         3 cups milk

·         3 cups smoked cheddar, Gruyere, or Swiss cheese, shredded

·         Salt and ground black pepper

·         2 cups bread crumbs

·         ½ cup finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese

·         3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (170 degrees C).  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain.

2.       Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil.  Saute the finely chopped onion until it turns translucent.  Throw in the garlic and let the flavors infuse, about 2 minutes.

3.       Add the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper, oregano, and Italian seasoning until chicken is no longer pink.  Take the chicken out into a dish and keep aside.

4.       For the cheese sauce: Melt 3 tbsp of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Whisk in 3 cups of milk and tomato paste, and stir until the mixture is thickened and bubbly, about 2 minutes.  Reduce heat.   Add the shredded cheese and stir until cheese is almost melted. Season to taste  with salt and pepper (I also added 2 tsp of sugar).  Turn off the stove.

5.       Add chicken and half of the sauce to cooked pasta in a pot, stir to coat.  Spoon mixture into a rectangular baking dish. Pour over the remaining sauce.

6.       Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and melted butter.  Sprinkle the crumb mixture over pasta mixture.

7.       Bake uncovered for around 20-30 minutes until crumb mixture is golden and edges are bubbly.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         1 pound (500 gram) dada ayam tanpa tulang, rebus dan suwir-suwir

·         1 sdt bumbu rempah Italia kering 

·         1/2  sdt oregano kering

·         Garam dan bubuk merica hitam

·         2 sdm minyak zaitun

·         12 ons (340 gram) makaroni kering  atau pasta lainnya (saya menggunakan makaroni spiral)

·         1 buah bawang bombay, iris halus

·         2 siung bawang putih, cincang halus

·         3 sdm mentega

·         3 sdm tepung terigu serbaguna

·         2 sdm saus tomat

·         3 cups susu cair

·         3 cups smoked cheddar, Gruyere, atau Swiss cheese, parut

·         Garam dan bubuk merica hitam

·         2 cups panko (tepung roti kasar)

·         ½ cup keju Parmesan atau Romano, parut

·         3 sdm mentega, lelehkan

Cara:

1.       Panaskan oven dengan suhu 350 derajat F (170 derajat C). Didihkan air yang telah diberi garam dalam panci, rebus makaroni sampai al dente, sekitar 8 menit.  Tiriskan. 

2.       Dalam panci kecil atau wajan, panaskan minyak zaitun.  Tumis bawang bombay sampai berubah warna.  Masukkan bawang putih. Aduk-aduk sampai wangi sekitar 2 menit.

3.       Masukkan ayam suwir.  Bumbui dengan garam dan merica, oregano, dan rempah Italia.  Masak sampai ayam tidak lagi berwarna merah muda.  Angkat dan  sisihkan.

4.       Untuk saus keju:  Lelehkan mentega dengan api sedang.  Masukkan terigu dan aduk dengan spatula kayu sampai halus.   Tuang susu cair dan saus tomat, lalu aduk sampai mengental, sekitar 2 menit.  Kecilkan api. Masukkan keju parut,  aduk rata sampai keju hamper meleleh.  Bumbui dengan garam dan merica (saya juga menambahkan 2 sdt gula pasir).  Matikan api.  

5.       Dalam mangkuk besar, tuang ayam suwir dan setengah saus keju ke atas makaroni rebus.  Aduk sampai bercampur.  Pindahkan ke dalam pinggan tahan panas, tuang sisa saus keju.

6.       Sementara itu, dalam mangkuk kecil, campur tepung roti, keju Parmesan dan mentega leleh.  Taburkan campuran tepung roti di atas permukaan makaroni.

7.       Panggang dalam oven selama 20-30 menit sampai berbuih dan panas.  Biarkan 10 menit sebelum disajikan.