BBQ Chicken Mac And Cheese Recipe

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, which is guaranteed to leave you feeling satisfied. It's a true family favorite, and you may well already have a go-to recipe you make on repeat. What if we told you there was a way to make this classic dish even more tempting? Our BBQ chicken mac & cheese, by recipe developer Catherine Brookes, transforms this cheesy staple into a meaty delight with a sweet, smoky, and tangy twist. 

To make the BBQ chicken element, we coat chicken breasts in a flavorful seasoning mixture before pan-frying them to get that perfect char. Once shredded and tossed with lashings of your favorite BBQ sauce, the juicy meat is ready to be stirred through the gooey mac and cheese base. Then, for a crispier finish, and to make everything even more cheesy, the mixture is transferred to a baking dish and topped with more cheddar and mozzarella, before being baked in the oven to golden, bubbling perfection. The resulting dish is undeniably hearty, with the BBQ chicken adding new layers of flavor. Serve it up with a simple scattering of fresh herbs or your favorite sides, such as garlic bread or a fresh, crunchy salad.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

To coat the butterflied chicken breasts, you'll need smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Grab some olive oil for frying and BBQ sauce to toss the cooked, shredded chicken in. Then, for the mac & cheese base, there's macaroni pasta (or gluten-free macaroni pasta), butter, all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour), milk, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and shredded mozzarella cheese. Feel free to garnish the finished dish with some chopped fresh parsley, too.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Mix together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Rub the spice mixture all over the butterflied chicken breasts.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Add the oil to a large frying pan over medium heat.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Fry the chicken breasts for about 5-7 minutes per side, until nicely browned on the outside, and the internal temperature has reached 165 F.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Shred the chicken with two forks.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Mix the shredded chicken with the BBQ sauce. Set aside.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Boil and drain the macaroni, cooking it for two minutes less than stated on the packaging.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Add the flour and mix until a paste forms. Cook, stirring constantly, for another minute.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Gradually add the milk, a splash at a time, and whisking as you go, until you have a smooth sauce.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Let the sauce simmer for another five minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Off the heat, stir 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheddar and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese into the sauce, and season it with salt to taste. If the sauce is too thick, you can pop it back on the heat and add another splash of milk.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Stir the cooked macaroni and BBQ chicken into the cheese sauce.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Scatter over the remaining ⅓ cup cheddar and ⅓ cup mozzarella.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Serve, garnished with some fresh parsley if desired.

Catherine Brookes/Mashed

Packing in some vegetables to add extra nutrients is always an option, and there are plenty of vibrant veggies that'll work brilliantly here. Greens such as kale, chard, or spinach would all make excellent choices, and can be roughly chopped and stirred into the mac and cheese mixture before you transfer it to the baking dish. Frozen peas are also a wonderfully easy add-in that can be incorporated at the same point. Or, go for diced broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, or leeks. With these veggies, it's best to cook them beforehand, whether that's boiling, steaming, or sauteing them in a frying pan. Once cooked, they're ready to be combined with the BBQ chicken mac.

Another option is to roast up some vegetables in the oven or air fryer. Bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, butternut squash, or cauliflower will fit in with the cheesy, tangy flavors of the mac beautifully. Just toss the diced veggies with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, roast them until tender and caramelized, and stir them into the mac & cheese before the final baking step.

If you're not in the mood for BBQ sauce, but still want to incorporate chicken into your mac & cheese, there are plenty of other options for spices, herbs, or sauces to season the meat. For a spicier finish, try tossing the shredded cooked chicken with your favorite hot sauce, such as buffalo sauce or sriracha, before stirring it through the mac. Or you can rub the butterflied chicken breasts with a dash of chili powder or cayenne pepper before pan-frying them. To bring some herbaceous flavor to your mac & cheese, ditch the spices and coat the raw chicken in a combination of Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Once it's been cooked and shredded, you could then mix it with a few spoonfuls of pesto for added herby richness.

Honey and mustard are another excellent match for chicken, and these flavors will work fantastically with the cheesy sauce. Simply mix the shredded chicken with some honey, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper, and it's ready to be added to the mac and cheese base. Another seasoning worth mentioning is ranch. You can use a dry ranch seasoning to rub onto the raw chicken, and mix a dash of creamy ranch dressing through the shredded meat. Why not throw some cooked, chopped bacon into the mix as well?