In this blog, we are going to discuss Tuscan Chicken with mac and cheese with some broccoli!
We all enjoy our usual serving of mac and cheese, whatever the occasion may be. From inviting your friends over for a few drinks to having your nephews and nieces come by for a visit to their favourite aunt or uncle, mac and cheese will never be a bad idea to include in such a small and private gathering.
But it might be a good idea to give an upgrade to the staple that is mac and cheese, don’t you think?
Perhaps adding some chicken into it might spice things up and make the experience of enjoying the typical mac and cheese more enjoyable and delicious.
Mac and cheese by itself as a meal is already delicious. It is easy to prepare and is quite liked by anyone who is not lactose intolerant. Therefore, it is a safe meal to have, whatever the occasion may be. This leads us to adding something else if we want to amplify the flavour, like Tuscan chicken and making it healthier by adding broccoli.
Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli
First line of business is to prepare all the ingredients that you are going to need to cook yourself up the best mac and cheese with Tuscan chicken and broccoli.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts, two large pieces that have been removed of skin and bones, sliced thinly to about one or two inches thin or you can also substitute it with four chicken thigh fillets, also removed of both skin and bones
- Seasonings such as salt and pepper
- Paprika, half a teaspoon worth. It is your choice if you want sweet paprika or the smoky kind of paprika
- Broccoli, a cup’s worth, sliced
- Parsley, dried, around half a teaspoon
- Oil, a tablespoon worth will do, equally sorted. Feel free to use either canola oil or olive oil
- Butter, two tablespoons
- Onion, one yellow piece and chopped
- Garlic, 6 cloves worth, diced finely
- This is optional but you can use a third of a cup’s worth of white wine to bring out the flavour. But if there are kids and you do not want to get drunk at one o’clock in the afternoon, go for two cups of chicken broth instead
- Tomato strips – nine ounces or about two hundred fifty grams of the stuff should do. They’re to be jarred, sun dried and bathed in oil. Save up and keep aside around two tablespoons of the oil and drain the rest.
- Flour – three tablespoons of the stuff
- Milk or cream, 3 cups worth equally shared, so that’s about one and half a cup each. Milk that is full fat is ideal if you want to get the best flavour, but if you are concerned about your weight, low fat milk is alright. As for the cream, whatever choice will be good. Evaporated milk, light or heavy cream will do just fine.
- Italian herbs – make sure they’re dried and two teaspoons worth of the stuff
- Elbow macaroni – ten ounces or about three hundred grams, preferably uncooked
- Baby spinach leaves – fresh, 3 cups
- Parmesan cheese – one cup, newly-grated for freshness
- Mozzarella cheese – three quarters of a cup, shredded
- Cheddar or Gruyere cheese – half a cup, grated
- Parsley – freshly chopped, two tablespoons
Check my other article on baked chicken recipes!
Steps On How to Cook Tuscan Chicken with Mac and Cheese and Broccoli
Step 1:
Using the two teaspoons of oil, paprika, parsley (dried), pepper and salt, mix these with the chicken to season. As for the oil that was left remaining, heat it up in a big wok, pan or pot somewhere between medium to high levels. Place the chicken in the container and allow it to fry and sear in the heat until it turns golden brown, and the pinkish hue in the middle is no more. This is the sign when the chicken has been cooked perfectly. Move the chicken to a plate, and with aluminium foil, wrap it up and put it aside.
Step 2:
Using the same pot, pan or whatever that you cooked with the chicken, put in the butter, wait for it to liquefy and put in the onions and garlic and cook until the onion becomes see-through, ensuring to stir and move them around for two minutes or so. Get the white wine if you haven’t gulped it dry yet and pour every last bit of it in the pan and let it cook lightly for 5 minutes or until it decreases in volume.
Step 3:
To release as much flavour as possible, get two tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato oil, place it in the pan and let it simmer for around one to two minutes.
Put the flour in the pot/pan and let it stir for around a minute.
Add the chicken broth, two and a half cups of milks or cream divided equally, salt, pepper, herbs all the while decreasing the flame.
Step 4:
Put in the macaroni and broccoli and stir sparingly as it stops bubbling. Decrease the flame down to medium heat or low heat and stir in intervals while it simmers for about nine minutes, or until the sauce emulsifies or until the broccoli and macaroni are cooked.
Get the spinach, toss it in and stir until it wilts.
Step 5:
Remove the pot or pan from the cooking grill or stove, put in the cheese and blend post haste. Calibrate the quantities of salt and pepper to apply and take sips to taste. Feel free to add milk in quarter cups if the sauce is too dense. Remember that as it cools, the sauce becomes thicker.
As for the chicken, chop it up into strips and muddle it along the pasta. As for the parsley, scatter it evenly in the mix and blend thoroughly.
Step 6:
When all done, it is best to serve it immediately.
Conclusion
With this recipe, you are surely be able to enjoy yourself a serving or two of Mac and Cheese With Chicken And Broccoli, which will be more than enough to sustain you with all the nutrition and deliciousness this dish is sure to provide. And as always, bon appétit!
Can you stir fry a chicken? Find out here.
