Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese
on Apr 25, 2023, Updated Oct 25, 2023
Want an easy, fuss-free, and delicious one-pot dinner in 30 minutes? Then, try this creamy Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese.
Try more easy and delicious pasta recipes for your weeknight dinner or weekend brunch: White Sauce Pasta, Chicken Florentine Pasta, Jambalaya Pasta, and Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Pasta.
Our house is close to Bhavye’s school. So often, his friends stop by for some time before leaving for their homes. Bhavye calls just after leaving school to tell me he is coming home with a bunch of his friends and if I could make something for them to eat.
This pasta dish has become my favorite for such times. It comes together quickly and is loaded with flavors.
About Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese
Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese is a delicious one-pot pasta dish loaded with flavors and comes together in under 30 minutes using a few simple ingredients.
Seasoned chicken pieces and soft pasta coated in a creamy, cheesy, silky smooth, herby sauce with sun-dried tomatoes will surely be your new favorite.
This one-pot recipe requires minimal cleanup. For a hearty meal, serve it with garlic bread, salad, or roasted veggies.
Ingredients
Chicken – I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts, but you can use boneless chicken thighs too.
Seasonings For Chicken – To season the chicken, you will need basic condiments such as salt, ground black pepper, ground paprika, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
You can use cayenne pepper instead of ground paprika in the recipe.
Pasta – Since it is a mac and cheese recipe, you will need macaroni pasta.
If it’s unavailable, use other pasta shapes like fusilli, shells, penne, rigatoni, etc.
For a healthy twist, you can also use whole wheat pasta for this mac and cheese.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes – Use jarred sun-dried tomatoes. They add a sweet-tart flavor, making the pasta very delicious.
Cheese – This pasta has a lot of cheese, and that’s what makes it so irresistible. I have used a combination of mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and cheddar cheese.
I suggest you grate the cheese fresh instead of adding packaged pre-shredded cheese to the pasta. Freshly grated cheese tastes much better than store-bought grated cheese.
Spinach – I used regular spinach leaves, but you can use baby spinach, too.
Others – You will also need unsalted butter, extra virgin olive oil, onions, garlic, all-purpose flour, whole milk, fresh parsley, and chicken broth (chicken stock).
To make the pasta dish more indulgent, add a splash of white wine and some unsweetened heavy cream at the end of the cooking.
How To Make Tuscan Style Chicken Mac And Cheese
Cook The Chicken
Rinse two large, skinless, boneless chicken breasts and pat them dry using paper tissues.
Pound them using a meat tenderizer until they are 1 inch thick.
Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoon unsalted butter in a large pan or a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Once the butter is melted and the oil is hot, arrange the chicken pieces in the pan in a single layer.
Sprinkle with some salt, black pepper powder, ground paprika, and Italian seasoning.
Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown from the bottom.
Then, using a pair of tongs, flip them and sprinkle the other side with salt, pepper, paprika powder, and Italian seasoning.
Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep it aside.
Make The Pasta
Add ½ cup chopped onions and 2 teaspoon chopped garlic to the same pan and saute until onions turn transparent (45-50 seconds), stirring frequently.
Scrape the browned bits of chicken from the bottom of the pan.
Add 7 oz of sundried tomatoes and 2 tablespoon of the oil from the jar and cook for 50-60 seconds.
Now add 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour and cook for 30-35 seconds, stirring frequently.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Add 2 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups of whole milk and stir well.
Add 16 oz of uncooked elbow macaroni and mix everything well.
Cook for 10-12 minutes until the macaroni is al dente, stirring frequently.
Add 2 cups of chopped spinach and mix well.
Now add the following ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted and the cheese is melted.
- 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese
If the sauce is too thick, add some more milk. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken some more once it starts to cool down.
Check for salt and pepper and add more if needed.
Slice the cooked chicken into strips and stir it in the pasta.
Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make this macaroni recipe vegetarian, skip adding chicken and replace it with veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers. Add tofu, white beans, etc., to the vegetarian version.
Replace chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Use gluten-free pasta and substitute all-purpose flour with any preferred gluten-free flour.
Pro Tips By Neha
If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, then shred it and add it directly to the cooked paste.
Use the leftover sun-dried tomato oil to make salad dressing.
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Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
To Cook The Chicken
- 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
For The Pasta
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 7 ounces sun-dried tomatoes (plus 2 tablespoon of oil from the jar)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 16 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni pasta
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- salt (to taste)
- crushed black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Cook The Chicken
- Rinse the chicken breasts and pat them dry using paper tissues.
- Pound them using a meat tenderizer until they are 1 inch thick.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted and the oil is hot, arrange the chicken pieces in the pan in a single layer.
- Sprinkle with some salt, black pepper powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown from the bottom.
- Then flip them using a pair of tongs and sprinkle the other side with salt, pepper, paprika, and Italian seasoning.
- Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep it aside.
Make The Pasta
- Add onions and garlic to the same pan and saute until onions turn transparent (45-50 seconds), stirring frequently.
- Scrape the browned chicken bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes and oil from the jar and cook for 50-60 seconds.
- Now add all-purpose flour and cook for 30-35 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add chicken broth and milk, and stir well.
- Add macaroni and mix everything well.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes until the macaroni is al dente, stirring frequently.
- Add spinach and mix well.
- Now add parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese and cook for 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted and the cheese is melted.
- If the sauce is too thick, add some more milk. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken some more once it starts to cool down.
- Check for salt and pepper and add more if needed.
- Slice the cooked chicken into strips and stir it in the pasta.
- Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top and serve immediately.
Video
Very simple and quick. Everyone loved it!