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.
Did you make this recipe?
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I just love this lady… She comes up with recipes that appeal to my appetite…
I tried this tonight and the sauce didn’t work for me. I had the individually wrapped laughing cow cheese that comes in the red wax… that was all I saw. Was that the wrong kind? It turned into a curdled mess. I tried to save it with a little extra milk and some cheddar but it didn’t help. No idea what happened other than having the wrong cheese. Any ideas? I don’t know of any possible ways to save it.
Rella, unfortunately the incorrect cheese was used here. It is best to use the cheese that is cut into wedges.
This sure is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies!
Can you clarify what’s going on with the chicken? Do you buy this pre-shredded? Or should I be adding additional prep time to cook/shred the chicken?
Alyssa, I don’t think chicken can be purchased “pre-shredded”. But you can certainly use leftover rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken breast shredded with a fork.
Our Costco here actually sells the rotisserie chicken pulled too.
My Costco did for awhile too but it ended quickly. It’s no longer available. Buy a rotisserie chicken and use a mixer to shred the chicken. Comes out nicely shredded.
You can crock pot the chicken. That’s what I did!
Question, do you have the dietary info on this recipe, per cup? I need to Type 1 diabetic carb counting…
Unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I am not comfortable sharing nutritional information for any of my recipes. I recommend utilizing online calorie counters at your discretion to obtain such information.
I love two things about this. The fact that you used Laughing Cow cheese and that you loaded it with yummy veggies! I can’t wait to try it! Or Costco churros, which sound like they must be pretty amazing…
what happened to your #recipecomingsoon for,the
RANCH CHICKEN THIGHS???
Thanks
Diane
Diane, it’s still “coming soon”!
You are so smart to use the light Laughing Cow cheese. 30 calories per wedge. I use it on sandwiches in place of mayonnaise. It’s wonderful on 97% lean hamburger sandwiches on low calorie toasted bread. Lay the hot hamburger patties right on top of the toast, after spreading Laughing Cow cheese, my favorite is French Onion. Your recipe looks wonderful and I’ll make it soon.
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This looks amazing! I don’t make nearly enough mac and cheese!
My other half is a meat and potato and anything cheesy creamy kinda guy. He couldn’t get enough of this dish and well……no leftovers for me to take for lunch. LOL. I count what I eat, and I can easily fit this into my daily eating plans. This is absolutely delish! I used the entire carton of the LC garlic and herb cheese and it was perfect.
By the way, your food photos have me hooked to your blog. So glad I found you and I have not been disappointed with any of the recipes I’ve made. And neither has he 🙂 BONUS!!
I make this recipe on the regular and the whole family loves it! I like to switch up the different flavors of cheese and I use roasted red peppers (instead of sundried tomatoes) because I usually have them in the fridge and it tastes great!!!!! Love this!!
Can you clarify how much 1 serving is? 1 cup? looking forward to trying this tonight!
Thanks!!
It really depends on how much you and your family can consume but I would say that at least 2 cups should be sufficient per person.
This looks so tasty – love a lightened up version of a comfort food favorite! Thanks for sharing.
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How many wedges of LC Cream Cheese do we use?
Monica, I would estimate about 4 wedges but please check your packaging to ensure that 6 ounces are used.
Could I substitute the LC cheese with anything? Like possibly cream cheese? This looks delicious and I’d like to make it very soon! 🙂
You can definitely try substituting the cream cheese but I have no way to know if this will change the taste/consistency of this dish.
What flavor of LC cheese wedge did you use?
I used garlic & herb.
Could you please clarify the step regarding the cheese? Ingredient list calls for Laughing Cow, recipe mentions Monterey Jack? Use both, or one or the other?
Recipe is fixed!
Wow, three years late on this one. Rats!
A couple of the comments mention Laughing Cow, which I’d like to try. Is it just a straight swap from mozzarella/cheddar to LC? Thanks!
Yes! 🙂
Can this be frozen after making?
I would advise against it.
you say you would advise against freezing, yet recipe says freezer friendly. Could you explain your reasons?
You can freeze after it has been completely cooked in individual servings.