Macaroni and Cheese with Nashville Chicken
Macaroni and Cheese with Nashville Chicken - This is the ultimate comforting Mac and Cheese! A rich, creamy and delicious Mac and Cheese topped with Nashville Chicken that will rival the one from your favourite restaurant/takeaway. We use a combination of cheeses in this recipe - Cheddar, Red Leicester, Mozzarella and Grana Padana or Parmesan. This recipe is great for a comforting dinner, a gathering with friends, as a BBQ side or a side dish or appetiser for Christmas/Thanksgiving and any other celebration.
Ingredients
Macaroni
- 100 g Butter
- 100 g Plain Flour
- 1100 ml Milk
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Granules
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Dry Parsley
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon Mustard Optional
- Salt & Pepper
- 150 g Red Leicester Cheese Grated
- 150 g Cheddar Cheese Mature, Grated
- 100 g Mozzarella Cheese Grated
- 25 g Grana Padana or Parmesan, Grated
- 500 g Macaroni
Macaroni Topping
- 50 g Mozzarella Cheese Grated
- 50 g Mature Cheddar Grated
- 50 g Red Leicester Grated
Nashville Chicken
- 600 g Chicken Tenders Or Breast vut into strips
- 750 ml Vegetable Oil
Chicken Marinade/Soak
- 150 ml Buttermilk
- 1 Egg
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Granules
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Hot Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Pickle Juice Gherkin Juice
Flour Dredge
- 60 g Plain Flour ½ Cup, All Purpose Flour
- 60 g Corn Flour ½ Cup, Cornstarch
- 70 g Rice Flour ½ Cup, or use more Plain Flour, Corn Flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Celery Powder Optional
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon MSG Optional
- ½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda Baking Soda
Glaze
- 30 ml Butter Melted
- 30 ml Leftover Cooking Oil or more Butter
- ½ tablespoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Instructions
Step 1 - Boil the Macaroni
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.Add Macaroni and cook for 1 minute less then the packet suggests. Then drain.
Step 2 - Make the Bechamel
- Make the bechamel sauce, sauce by melting the Butter in a pot and adding Flour. Whisk till it turns golden (about 1- 2 minutes over medium high heat). Slowly pour in the Milk stirring continuously until it thickens.
Step 3 - Add Seasoning
- Stir in Paprika, Garlic, Onion Powder and Parsley. Season and taste and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Simmer for a few minutes (about 5) until thickened.
Step 4 - Stir in some of the Cheese
- Remove the pot from the heat and add in most of the shredded cheeses, reserving some Cheese for the top (measurements can be found in the recipe card below). Continue to whisk until the Cheese is fully incorporated.
Step 5 - Stir in Macaroni and Crisp the top
- Add Macaroni to Cheese mixture and mix through throughly. Add it to to 9 x 13 backing dish. Top with remaining Cheese.Place under the grill/broiler for 2 - 3 minutes till golden and slightly crispy on top.
Step 6 - Make the Nashville Chicken - Buttermilk
- Add the Buttermilk, Egg, Salt, Garlic Powder, Pickle Juice, and Hot Sauce to a large bowl. Whisk until the ingredients are combined. Pat the chicken tenders dry with paper towels, then add them into the bowl with the Buttermilk mixture. Mix to coat. Cover the bowl with cling film/plastic wrap and place in the fridge for for 2-4 hours (or overnight). When the chicken has completed marinading, remove it from the Buttermilk and let aside for a few minutes.
Step 7 - Make the Flour Dredge
- In a separate shallow bowl, add the Plain Flour, Rice Flour and Corn Flour. Stir in Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Salt, Celery Powder if using, Paprika, Onion Powder, Black Pepper, Baking Powder and MSG if using. Whisk to combine.
- Dredge the Chicken Tenders in the Flour mixture, and shake off excess Flour. Dip the floured tenders back into the Buttermilk and let the excess Buttermilk drip off. Dredge back into the Flour mixture for the second coating of Flour ensuring the tenders are fully coated and there are some flaky bits. Continue the process until all the Chicken is coated. Set aside for 15 minutes. Add cooking oil to a deep pot, wok or Dutch oven over high heat. Heat the oil until it has reached 180 C/350 F.
Step 8 - Fry the Chicken Tenders
- Add the Chicken Tenders to the hot Oil (Check if it is hot by flicking some Flour into the Oil, it should sizzle), and fry the chicken for 5-6 minutes (roughly 3 minutes per side) until golden brown and crispy or until the internal temperature is at least 74 F/165 F. Top Tip - Ensure to cook in batches as the Oil temperature will drop. If this happens, the Chicken will not become crispy on the outside. It will be soggy instead and the Chicken will absorb all the Oil. Not great! Remove the cooked chicken tenders from the pot and place them onto a wire rack to drain.
Step 9 - Make the Glaze and toss the Chicken in the glaze
- Melt the Butter in a small pan. Then add the Cooking Oil if using. Stir in Cayenne Pepper, Paprika and Garlic Powder. Whisk to combine and remove from the heat. Stir in Hot Sauce and Honey and whisk till smooth. Or Melt the Butter in the Microwave and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Toss the fried Chicken Tenders in the Nashville Hot Sauce and serve on top of the Macaroni.
Notes
Top tips
Don’t overcook the Pasta The pasta will be placed cooked again under the grill so if you over cook it at the beginning, it is likely to get mushy by the end. Grate the Cheese Do this by hand or in a food processor with grater attachment. Store-bought pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agent that stops it from clumping together which affects how it melts. Cheese Type Don’t worry too much about getting the exact cheeses listed. Just use your favourites! Other options are Gruyere, Gouda, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Colby. Milk Use full fat room temperature Milk. When you add the Milk, add it slowly and whisk throughly to avoid lumps. Fry Chicken in batches Cooking the Chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding ensures that the OIi temperature does not drop. If it does drop, you will end up with soggy chicken which absorbs all the Oil.Variations
Panko Topping You can add ⅔ cup of Panko breadcrumbs with butter and add to the top of the Pasta before baking for a super crispy top. Protein You can add cooked meats such as Sausage, Beef to the Mac and Cheese. You can also add Prawns. Veg Add veggies such as Corn,Peppers, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Red Onions, Spring Onion, Spinach, Tomatoes. Throw in some Jalapeños. This works really well! Add Leafy Greens such as Spinach, Chard or Kale. Seasoning Taste the cheese sauce before adding Salt. Cheese can vary a lot in terms of how salty it is so I would give the sauce a taste before adding any more salt. Add extra seasoning such as dried herbs like basil, chives, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, etc. You can also add seasonings like Cajun seasonings, Cayenne Pepper, Za’atar, Harissa, Pesto or any other sauce or paste that goes well with Pasta. Hot sauce works well!How to make this recipe ahead of time
Make the Mac and Cheese as directed but do not grill. Allow to cool. Cover with cling film or foil and place in the fridge 1 day ahead. Take out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bake as recipe suggests. Note - The recipe does lose some of the creaminess when made ahead. I would suggest that you increase the amount of sauce slightly (¾ cup butter, flour and 2 cups milk) if you need to make this recipe ahead of time. Make the tenders ahead of time, coat them and place in the fridge overnight. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before frying.Can it be frozen?
Yes it can be. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat gently in the microwave or stove top. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. You can reheat in the microwave, or covered in the oven at 180c/350F for 10-15 minutes. The Tenders should be stored seperately for up to 3 months and reheated either in the microwave, in the oven or you can give them a quick flash fry once defrostedCan i use other shapes of pasta?
You can use any pasta shape in this recipe but it should be of a similar size to macaroni. So smaller varieties of Penne, Farfelle, Conchilige.What to serve with Mac and Cheese with Chicken
Mac and Cheese with Chicken is actually pretty great on it's own, but you can serve it with Fries and Garlic Bread.Nutrition
Calories: 874kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 63gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 202mgSodium: 1096mgPotassium: 765mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1415IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 852mgIron: 2mg
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