Indian baked Mac & Cheese with Chicken

The season of warm delicious casseroles has come. The perfect weather for a warm comfort meal that I am pretty sure, I can’t find anyone who doesn’t crave it. I mean come on who wouldn’t dig right in a warm cheesy dish of macaroni and cheese just popped out of the oven?

Yes! today we are making a very delicious baked mac and cheese recipe that everyone from your little ones to your husband and older member of the family will love!

But it is not the traditional mac and cheese you know, of course it is not why else I would be sharing it with you if is just the simple one?!

It is my version of macaroni and cheese with an extra boost of protein by adding some chicken to the mix and an explosion of flavors with each bite because ladies it is an Indian infused macaroni and cheese.

Yes! you heard it right, Indian style mac and cheese and let me tell it is one of my best recipes I have ever made. It is vibrant, hearty, cheesy and full of flavors and texture.

Because I am adding chicken to this recipe, I used chicken masala spice mix and with some extra boost of turmeric, coriander, ginger, garlic and chili to make that Indian flavor more present.

I served this Delicious recipe with my green coriander salad that goes well with Indian inspired dish , check it out for a full balanced lunch !

It is so easy to do with no complicated ingredients, perfect for a warm quick meal! so let get started, shall we?

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Indian baked mac & cheese with chicken :

your favorite comfort food with a twist. mac and cheese with a devious Indian spices blend and some chicken to make it just perfect. easy perfect warm hearty meal to make for your family.

Servings 0 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 300 g boneless chicken breast,cut into cubes ^{(see notes)}
• 200 g dry whole wheat macaroni ^{(see notes)}
• 1 cup frozen peas ^{(see notes)}
• ½ cup bread crumb ^{(see notes)}
• ¼ cup 30 g freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp of each: paprika, salt, chicken masala, ground turmeric, coriander pepper ^{(see notes)}
• ¼ tsp of each: black pepper powder, red chili pepper powder ^{(see notes)}
• 3 tbsp. grass fed butter
• 1 ½ tsp ginger/garlic paste
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 3 cups milk (low fat, 0% fat, lactose free, any of your choice) ^{(see notes)}
• 2 cups cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Step 01: preheat oven to 180 degree C. Cook macaroni according to package. Place peas in a colander and drain pasta in the same colander after done cooking. Set aside.
• Step 02: in a deep large skillet, heat the oil and cook chicken on medium heat flipping occasionally for 5 minutes until the chicken are fully cooked and have a golden brown crisp on the edges. Set aside and keep the skillet. roughly chop the chicken into smaller pieces after they cooled down a little so you can touch.
• Step 03: meanwhile, while pasta and chicken cooking. In a small bowl combine: bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, paprika and set aside. In another small bowl, stir together the salt, chicken masala, turmeric, coriander, black pepper, red chili and set aside.
• Step 04: in the same skillet that we cooked the chicken in, melt butter on medium heat. Add the garlic/ginger paste and stir for a minute. Add your salt and spices mixture and cook for 2 minutes to infuse the flavors. Stir in the flour until combined around 1 minutes. Add milk at once and cook until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in the cheddar cheese and mix until melted. Add pasta, peas and chicken and mix all together. And turn off the heat.
• Step 05: transfer the mixture to (25×20) or any equivalent large deep baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the bread crumb mixture. Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and crumbles are golden brown. Let is cool for 10 minutes at least before cutting and serving.
• Enjoy!

Notes

freezer friendly: this recipe is freezer friendly you can prepare and store for later, just once you spread it in the baking dish and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture, don’t bake it. let it sit  on the counter top to cool down a little bit and once it is warm to touch pop it in the freezer . and once you want to serve it bake it as instructed in the recipe just make sure  not to directly pop it in the oven from freezer if you are baking in a glass dish like mine, let it regulate to room temperature for 30 minutes before putting inside the oven,

for the chicken cubes: I usually cut them into medium size cubes and cook them then I chop them roughly after to make them into smaller pieces for this recipe . but you can cut them from the beginning small or also use shredded chicken instead if you happen to have some ready , and just start with the next step.

 for the macaroni: I usually use a whole wheat or a gluten free type but you can use any type you like and also if you happen to have on hand a  different shape of pasta you can totally use also like: fusilli, farfalle, shells , even penne basically any short shaped pasta will work fine.

for the frozen peas:  if you have fresh peas of course it is a great choice but if you don’t have frozen is also a great option just make sure to  avoid the canned type because it will all mushy and won’t add that vibrant texture and color to the dish .

for the bread crumb: you can use the store bought one  or you can switch to a quick easy homemade fresh one by just blending some “kaak” or some toasted bread of your choice in the blender on high speed until you have a smooth sand like texture mixture.

for the spices:  all the spices I used in this recipe are from the brand Shen , you an find it at any grocery store. if you don’t find the chicken masala spice mix just mix at home: 1/2 tsp. Turmeric, ½ tsp. cumin powder, 1 tsp. coriander powder, ½ tsp. Black pepper, ½ tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. ginger powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder

for the milk: I always use a organic cow milk same for the butter I use the grass fed one . And for me , I always cook with a lactose free milk , easier on my stomach and digestion system.

 

 

 

 

Author: annacookingconcept

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course, pasta

Cuisine: American, Indian, Italian

Keyword: cheese, indianfood, mac&cheese, pasta

don’t forget to check the full steps in my stories on Instagram and the highlights saved under the name of the recipe. share #annacookingconcept with me your pictures if you tried this amazing recipe!