Saturday, February 06, 2016

Chicken-Broccoli Mac and Cheese with Bacon

Is it Saturday already? I was home from work yesterday and suddenly inspired to cook, bake and clean. I did get some reading done too. Currently reading The Finest Hours and it's very good. I was plotting my post for the weekly meal planning and here is one that will be included (hopefully I can post tomorrow). It's easy, it's cheesy, it has a vegetable in it and carbs too!


IMG_5874


Chicken-Broccoli Mac and Cheese with Bacon


Ingredients

6 ounces uncooked large or regular elbow macaroni
3 cups chopped broccoli florets
3 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/4 cups)


Preparation

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add broccoli to pan during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain.
3. While pasta cooks, place bacon in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon; reserve 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add chicken to drippings in pan; cook 4 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with turmeric; cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
4. Combine remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, milk, stock, and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Add pasta mixture and 2 ounces cheese; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 3 ounces cheese and bacon. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts and just begins to brown.


I am sharing this with Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series.



Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

16 comments:

  1. Nice looking recipe. The turmeric is a good way to color it mac & cheese color!

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Is there anything more comforting than mac and cheese? With the added broccoli, you've got a complete meal. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Comfort food at its best. Who could resist bacon in mac and cheese? Love the addition of broccoli too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yum! I'm pro anything involving macaroni and cheese and I like the addition of the broccoli. I like the chicken as well. It's definitely a whole meal but comforting too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yum E!!! Man that looks good!

    ReplyDelete
  6. There are so many options with mac 'n cheese, love improvising myself, and adding bacon definitely ups the comfort level.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Chicken bacon & broccoli - fab! Cheers from Carole's Chatter!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks all! There are so many options with mac and cheese as Claudia said, I love adding different veggies and bacon.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mac and Cheese is the perfect comfort food to end the week on. I love how creamy this one looks! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. That loaf of bread looks awfully good, too!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Deb & Laurie, thanks so much!'

    ReplyDelete
  12. That looks delicious and may very well be what is for dinner!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Turmeric is so good for you too. I'm reading backwards so I am glad you posted this. Was hoping to see it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I like tumeric and it brings color to the meal as well as flavor and being good for you!

    I hope Shelia makes this and posts 😀

    ReplyDelete
  15. This looks really delicious and cheesy!! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  16. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Welcome and thank you so much for visiting. If I don't answer you here I will get back to you on your blog. Also have had to switch to approving comments due to some SPAM lately. Alas...

It's been a good run...........