Baked Chicken Mac and Cheese Casserole
This delicious baked chicken mac and cheese casserole is so deliciously cheesy and comforting! Topped with panko breadcrumbs, it's super easy to make and ready to serve in 35 minutes!
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 532kcal
Ingredients
- 10 chicken breast tenders cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
- 3 cups of pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 14 ounces boxed mac & cheese
- 1 ½ cup of panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tablespoons of butter at room temperature
- 4 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature
- 8 ounces of mild cheddar cheese freshly grated
- Olive oil for cooking the chicken
Instructions
- Mix the pickle juice, brown sugar and black pepper together in a large bowl and add the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In the meantime, make the mac and cheese according to the instructions on the box and mix in the butter, half of the cheddar cheese and cream cheese.
- Spray a baking sheet with butter spray and sprinkle the breadcrumbs out evenly over the pan, then spray the tops with more butter spray.
- Bake for 3 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs turn a golden color. Remove and set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add some olive oil.
- Drain the chicken from the marinade and add it to the pan and cook through.
- Remove the pan from the heat and drain off any excess liquid.
- Mix the chicken in with the mac and cheese.
- Spray a 9x13” casserole dish with non-stick spray and spread the mac and cheese mixture out evenly into the pan.
- Sprinkle the top evenly with the remaining cheddar cheese and top with the toasted breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top turns a light golden color.
- Let cool for 10 minutes to allow all of the juices to settle a bit before servings with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and toasted bread.
Video
Notes
- If you prefer, you can use low fat cream and cheddar cheese.
- Make sure that the chicken is cooked through before stirring it into the mac and cheese.
- Bake the casserole in a fully preheated oven so that it cooks through evenly.
Nutrition
Calories: 532kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 2138mg | Potassium: 398mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 668IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 318mg | Iron: 2mg