Lori B's Chic Mac Cheese Dish Recipe
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Category: |
Category: |
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons unsalted Butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish.
½ Pound Bite-sized pasta. I use Sea Shells, but you can use penne; ziti; bow ties.
2 teaspoons Sea Salt, plus more to taste.
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 large Onion, yellow, diced.
3 Garlic Cloves, mashed.
2 Cups - Milk
2 Cups – Heavy Cream.
3 ½ Cups – cooked, shredded Chicken Breasts. Can use a store bought 3 ½ to 4 pound roasted Chicken
1 Pack Four or Five Cheese - Mexican Cheese. Buy the 7oz or 1 ¾ Cup size package or larger.
Note: You can substitute the Mexican Cheese with the two cheeses below. But why go through all this work?
½ Cup – grated Sharp Cheddar cheese. (8 ounces)
½ Cup – grated Parmesan cheese. (1 ½ oz)
8 Ounces Fresh Spinach, washed with stems removed. Drain well. (about 4 Cups)
1 to 2 Tablespoons of Hot Sauce. Tabasco; Texas Pete or equivalent.
1 teaspoon - freshly ground black Pepper, plus more to taste.
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Directions: |
Directions:Tools:
9 x 13 Baking Dish
Large Pan for boiling Pasta
Large Bowl for mixing the Sauce, Chicken and Pasta.
Large Skillet for cooking the Onion, Garlic, Milk and Cream.
Tricks of the Trade:
After I pull the cooked Chicken apart, using two forks, while the Chicken is hot, I fry up the Chicken, in a separate cast iron pan with a Tablespoon (or less) of Olive Oil and Butter. I do this to ensure the Chicken is done and it does add to the flavor.
FINAL PREPARATION:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.
• In a Large Pot bring lightly salted water to a boil. Add Pasta, stir and cook until ‘al dente’. (Don’t overcook the Pasta.) Drain in a colander and transfer the Pasta to a large bowl. Drizzle, a Tablespoon of Olive Oil over the Pasta. Toss while coating. Set aside.
SAUCE
• In a Large Skillet, melt the Butter with the remaining 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil over medium heat. Add the diced Onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes, until the Onion is translucent.
• Add the Garlic and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly so the Garlic doesn’t brown.
• Stir in the Milk and Cream. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by half and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This is about 20 minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and add the Chicken, Cheeses and Spinach.
• Add the Hot Sauce, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.
• Stir until the Cheese has melted and the Spinach has wilted.
• Pour in a bowl with the Pasta and toss well to coat the Pasta with the Sauce.
• Taste for salt & pepper, season with more to taste. Go lightly on the Salt.
• Transfer the Pasta to the prepared baking dish, scrapping all the sauce out of the bowl with a good spatula.
• Bake for 45 minutes @ 350 or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the Pasta is slightly brown on top. I cook this uncovered for the whole 45 minutes but I have also cooked it covered for 30 minutes and then uncovered for the last 15 minutes.
Let the Pasta rest for about 10 minutes before service. Serve warm. |
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Number Of
Servings: |
Number Of
Servings:8 - 10 |
Preparation
Time: |
Preparation
Time:One Hour |
Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: This is the best ‘Mac, Chic, Cheese’ recipe ever. It seems like a lot of work, but if you look closely it’s not too bad at all. The payoff is great. I’ve made it for the crew at The UPS Store and get hounded every few weeks for more. I can guarantee that you will be asked to make this again and again. You can also divide this into separate smaller baking dishes and refrigerate some for the weekend. You can also share some, but you won’t get your dish back unless you fill it with more.
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