Chicken and Macaroni & Cheese Casserole

Okay full disclosure: PJ asked me to put this on the blog so we could always remember it because it’s that good. This is pure comfort food in every sense of the word and it’s pretty straight forward to make. I added the broccoli for a little green and it was the perfect companion to this rich and creamy mac n’cheese. It’s crispy but smooth, and buttery and savory and creamy and just so dang good.

The recipe more or less came from Recipes.net, though I did kind of tweak it a bit. Here’s what you’re going to need…

Ingredients

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, butterflied
1 lb elbow macaroni noodles, (1 box)
½ onion, chopped
10¾ oz cream of chicken soup
10¾ oz cream of celery soup
1 cup milk (we used almond milk)
1 sleeve of Ritz cracks
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
½ ranch packet
½ cup parmesan cheese, powdered or shredded
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ cup salted butter
2 tbsp all purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F then cook macaroni noodles according to package directions.
Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
Pour olive oil into a large pan over medium heat and cook chicken, 5 minutes on each side or until it turns a golden brown.
Remove chicken and degrease pan with 2 tbs of water and leave the liquid in the pan.
Pour more olive oil in the pan and sauté chopped onions. Then, add flour, milk, half of the cheddar cheese, and both soups.
Cook over medium heat or until melted, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Put noodles in a casserole pan and pour cheese sauce over, along with the ranch packet and chicken and mix to combine everything. Sprinkle parmesan and remaining cheddar on top.
Place half the butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt. Then crush the Ritz crackers in their plastic sleeve and mix in with the melted butter and spread evenly across the top of the casserole before putting it in the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Serve your creamy chicken mac and cheese in a bowl and garnish with chopped parsley and a side of broccoli.