BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese made with boneless chicken breasts in a creamy Cheddar cheese sauce; then topped with a buttery Ritz cracker topping and baked until golden brown.
It's bbq season once again and with that I always cook to much and have leftovers. I can't help myself and never want to run out of food when entertaining.
You can serve leftovers like bbq chicken on their own, make chicken salad, pizza or chop them up and put them on top of salads. However, I personally like to experiment and create new recipes like this BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese.
The smokey flavor of the bbq chicken combined with the rich and creamy cheese sauce and cracker topping makes this a delicious meal all on it's own.
Though there are a few steps, they can be done easily by multi-tasking. This recipe can be ready in about 45 minutes and serves 6 people. ~Enjoy!
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients Needed
To make this recipe you're going to need the following ingredients;
Macaroni: I used macaroni pasta, but any other small pasta like farfalle, shells or gemelli
Butter
All Purpose Flour
Milk: You can also use half & half, heavy cream or a mixture.
Cheddar Cheese: We like mild cheddar, but you can use sharp. Shredded cheese melts quicker and easier, but you can use diced or sliced cheese as well.
Chives
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Cooked Chicken Breasts: You can use any cooked leftover chicken in this recipe; including store bought shredded rotisserie chicken.
BBQ Sauce: I used store bought honey bbq, but you can use any flavor including homemade like these Balsamic Peach BBQ Sauce, Tomato Garlic BBQ Sauce or Whiskey Maple BBQ Sauce.
Ritz Crackers
Melted Butter
Gather all of your ingredients before preparing this recipe; then preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Boil the Macaroni
Fill a large pot with water and a few dashes of salt; then bring to a boil over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the macaroni and stir.
Normally, macaroni takes 9-11 minutes to cook; however, you only want to cook it for 5-6 minutes so the pasta is still a bit on the hard side.
When you add the cheese sauce and bake, it will finish cooking the macaroni. Drain the pasta in a colander, place back into the pot; then set aside.
Prepare the Cheese Sauce
While the pasta is cooking you can prepare the cheese sauce. Start by melting the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat; then whisk in the flour to form a roux.
Add the milk and whisk until the roux has dissolved; then add the cheese, chives, salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium; then stir occasionally until the cheese has melted and the sauce thickens. It should stick to the back of a spoon. Set aside.
Make the Cracker Topping
Crumble the crackers and place in a bowl; then add the melted butter and mix together.
Combine the Chicken and BBQ Sauce
Add the diced or shredded cooked chicken to a bowl with the bbq sauce. Mix and set aside.
Assemble the Macaroni and Cheese
Now it's time to assemble the macaroni and cheese!
Add the cheese sauce to the cooked macaroni along with the chicken mixture, stir together; then add to a 9x13 baking dish. It will be soupy but that's okay.
The sauce will soak into the macaroni when baking. Finally, top the mixture with the cracker topping.
Bake the BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese
Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the pasta is hot and bubbly.
Make Ahead
You can make this recipe ahead of time; however, I don't recommend it. The longer the cheese sauce sits and soaks into the macaroni, it will become too dry.
If you must make it ahead of time, prepare the mac and cheese without putting the topping on; then cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
Bring the casserole to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking; then drizzle some milk, half & half or heavy cream on top to help loosen up the hardened cheese sauce while it heats.
Cover the dish with foil; then bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the mac and cheese, add the cracker topping and bake for another 15 minutes.
VISIT THE RECIPE INDEX TO SEARCH FOR MORE RECIPES BY CATEGORY.
More Mac and Cheese Recipes
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BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 ounces macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried chives
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
- ½ cup bbq sauce
- 1 full sleeve ritz crackers (32 crackers)
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Fill a large pot with water and a few dashes of salt; then bring to a boil over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add the macaroni and stir.
- Cook for 5-6 minutes so the pasta is still a bit on the hard side. Drain the pasta in a colander, place back into the pot; then set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking you can prepare the cheese sauce. Start by melting the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat; then whisk in the flour to form a roux.
- Add the milk and whisk until the roux has dissolved; then add the cheese, chives, salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium; then stir occasionally until the cheese has melted and the sauce thickens. It should stick to the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- Crumble the crackers and place in a bowl; then add the melted butter and mix together.
- Add the diced or shredded cooked chicken to a bowl with the bbq sauce. Mix and set aside.
- Add the cheese sauce to the cooked macaroni along with the chicken mixture, stir together; then add to a 9x13 baking dish and top with the cracker topping.(It will be soupy but that's okay.)
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the pasta is hot and bubbly.
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