Recipe ~ Chicken Macaroni Cheese Pots

As promised here is the recipe for the Chicken Macaroni Cheese Pots.

 

Chicken Macaroni Cheese Pots

Serves 6

Prep 20 minutes

Cook 40 minutes

 

Light dairy spread, melted, to grease, plus 2½ tablespoons extra

350g macaroni

¼ cup plain flour

2½ reduced-fat milk

2 cups chopped cooked chicken meat

1 cup frozen peas

3 green onions, finely chopped

⅓ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 teaspoons wholegrain mustard

1 cup grated extra-light tasty cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 180°.  Brush ovenproof dishes with dairy spread to lightly grease.  Place on baking tray. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 12 minutes or until tender.  Drain.  Transfer to a large bowl. 

 

2. Heat extra dairy spread in a medium saucepan over moderate heat.  Add flour, cook and stir for 1 minute or until combined.  Remove from heat.  Gradually whisk in milk until smooth and combined.  Place over moderate heat, cook and stir for 5 minutes or until mixture comes to the boil and thickens slightly. Add to pasta with chicken, peas, onion, parsley, mustard and half of the cheese.  Season.  Mix well.  Spoon into prepared dishes; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

 

3. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.  Stand for 5 minutes.  Serve with salad.

 

Cooks notes ~

• The recipe suggests ramekins but I chose to use a large baking dish.
• I used the same pot throughout, from cooking the pasta to making the white sauce and then combining all ingredients before placing in baking tray.  Much less washing up.
• My trick with the white sauce is to add about ⅓cup of milk to the flour/butter mix "roux" and create a thick paste.  Then add the remaining milk.  This thickens a lot quicker than the traditional method
• I used 500g thigh fillet, the recipe suggested half a large BBQ chicken.
• This recipe is quite versatile.  I could imagine a tarragon/mushroom combination. Or adding diced vegies such as the frozen medley of corn/peas/carrots. 
• I cooked this in less time than the recipe stated.  It didn't take 20 minutes for the cheese to melt.  I liked that this could be a quick weeknight meal.  I wouldn't have chosen it if I thought it would take 60 minutes to cook. 

Enjoy x