Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese
This lightened-up mac and cheese is the best way to sneak in some veggies for those picky eaters! Also freezer-friendly!
I did something horrible.
I took a trashy mac and cheese, and made it less trashy. By adding broccoli.
Hey, apparently vegetables are good for you.
You’ll thank me later.
TRUST.
Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese
This lightened-up mac and cheese is the best way to sneak in some veggies for those picky eaters! Also freezer-friendly!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta shells
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ cup 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons all -purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup julienned sun dried tomatoes
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Within the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add broccoli; drain well.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in milk, flour, garlic and Dijon, until smooth and slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in pasta, broccoli, chicken, sun dried tomatoes and cheeses until well combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
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I was wanting to make this for a freezer meal for my daughter but I do not see any instructions for freezing it. Do you cook everything like you would if you were gonna eat it right away and just freeze like that? How long would do you cook it for when taken out of the freezer?
Just make it and freeze it in portion sized containers. It will last at least 6 months
“heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in milk, flour, garlic and Dijon, until smooth and slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes” All at once? Or should we cook the flour at all first? Roux-like?
Yes, you can add them in all at once. 🙂
Why do all the comments for this recipe talk about laughing cow cheese but there is no laughing cow cheese in the ingredients… I am confused…
The recipe has been updated (and improved – promise!) and thus, no longer includes Laughing Cow Cheese.
I’m confused. Several comments mention laughing Cow cheese. but I don’t see LC cheese listed in the ingredients. It’s also stated that it’s freezer friendly but commented that you don’t recommend it after making it. at what stage of cooking would I freeze it? Can’t wait to try this!!!! My family has enjoyed several of your recipes!
The recipe has been updated (and improved – promise!) and thus, no longer includes Laughing Cow Cheese. You can freeze after it has been completely cooked in individual servings.
i cooked this yesterday. easy to do , but as usual, i did not have all the correct items. wrong tomatos, i used can, one type cheese i did not have, chicken came out of a can, and i think fresh broccoli would be better than frozen. over all this tasted real good. but next time i will try to have more of the right stuff, every thing could stay the same except the chicken, it should be home fried or rotisserie from the big box. thanks for the easy and quick way to prepair a meal.
I’ve been making a variation of this for years but **never** thought of using Laughing Cow cheese! How brilliant! I’ve always used broccoli, fresh tomatoes, seeded & cut into cubes, roasted red sweet peppers if I have any on hand & a thick cheese sauce made with cheddar, mozzarella & cream cheese or left-over tail ends of Boursin w/ herbs (& if I have any bits of feta, chèvre and/or ricotta I toss them in, too). But I’ll be grabbing some LC this weekend! Sounds wonderful.
I only see cheddar+mozzarella listed in this recipe.am I supposed to add the LC wedges also,or instead of the listed cheeses?
The recipe has been updated (and improved – promise!) and thus, no longer includes Laughing Cow Cheese.
Hello. I am confused. I read these comments after I printed your recipe for Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese. The ingredients list does not have laughing cow as an ingredient. What am I missing here?
The recipe has been updated (and improved – promise!) and thus, no longer includes Laughing Cow Cheese.
I see laughing cow cheese mentioned in all the comments but no longer on the recipe. Did the original use laughing cow in place of both cheeses? Confused…..
The recipe has been updated (and improved – promise!) and thus, no longer includes Laughing Cow Cheese.
my printer has run out of ink, but i have handwritten this recipe and hope to try it today.
the pictures look excellent-but, looking at them it does not look as you mixed the broccoli with the other items-it looks as though you placed it when you took the pictures.looks good ,still going to cook as soon as i get the stove hot!!
The recipe above doesn’t list Laughing Cow cheese wedges in the ingredients list or in the instructions, yet others are commenting about how great the LC cheese in the recipe is. Is there a typo in the recipe? Thanks!
The recipe has been updated (and improved – promise!) and thus, no longer includes Laughing Cow Cheese.
I forgot to buy the laughing cow cheese. I used some leftover cheeses in my fridge and it was a complete fail. It’s looks so good. I will try one more time and make sure I use the exact ingredients.
Entire family likes this dish. 3yr old gobbles this up; mom and sis have also added this to their menus. I’m not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, so I just use fresh Romas. Good leftovers also, if you’re lucky to have any.
Thanks for the recipe I needed it for school project
can i substitute greek yogurt for the milk? I’m lacthose intolerant! Thanks!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise an appropriate substitute that will not alter the overall taste/texture of the dish. But if substitutions must be made, please use your best judgment.
I substituted quinoa for the pasta for an even healthier twist..turned out great!!
Do you know how many calories are in one serving?
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, it is best that you use free online resources at your discretion (you can gooogle “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information.
How do you cook the chicken? Do you bake or boil?
You can poach, bake or cook the chicken on the stovetop – it’s up to you!
Hi . can i use cheese cubes instead of cheese wedges as I live in NEw Delhi , India and am not sure if we have cheese wedges here ? Thanks .
You can certainly try substituting cheese cubes but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish. Using a substitution may also result in a mediocre outcome but if substitutions must be made, please use your best judgment.
Can’t wait to try this! Did you use frozen broccoli?
I used fresh broccoli.
do you cook the chicken before adding it to the cheese & milk mix?? or cook it in the sauce
Renee, the recipe calls for 2 cups shredded chicken breast so the chicken should be cooked and shredded (or finely chopped) prior to using.