Creamy chicken macaroni cheese
Nathanael: This was adapted from http://chelseawinter.co.nz/chicken-macaroni-cheese/ A bit fiddly with all the things that need preparing/cooking but very tasty.
Cook the macaroni until al dente (still firm to the bite), drain and stir through some olive oil so it doesn’t stick together. Set aside.
Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Add a splash of olive oil and the chicken thighs (whole). Cook until golden brown and crispy on one side, then turn over and cook for another few minutes to brown the other side. Transfer to a roasting dish and bake in the oven for 15 minutes to finish off the cooking. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. When cool, tear or cut into bite sized pieces.
While the chicken is in the oven, reduce the heat to medium and the butter and another splash of oil to the same pan (don’t clean it first, the chicken on the bottom adds flavour). Add the onion, garlic and oregano and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft.
Add the milk, cream and the flour mixture to the pan, whisking all the time as you do it until it’s well combined. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or so until the sauce has thickened. Add half the Parmesan and the cheese, and stir until melted. Lastly stir through the peas, spinach, lemon zest and juice, and chicken pieces. Taste and season with salt and cracked pepper to taste (don’t forget this step – it will need seasoning!). Stir the cooked macaroni through, then pour it all into a baking or casserole dish.
Mix the croutons with the remaining Parmesan and a little olive oil and salt. Sprinkle on top of the macaroni as the crust. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until golden, crunchy and bubbling on top.
Ingredients
- chicken thighs, boneless & skinless
- macaroni
- 50g butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 600mL milk
- 2Tbsp flour
- 2-3 cups chopped washed spinach
- 1 ½ cup peas, cooked
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 cup grated cheese
- zest of 1 lemon, plus a good squeeze of juice
- garlic croutons
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c. Season with chicken thighs with salt and pepper.Cook the macaroni until al dente (still firm to the bite), drain and stir through some olive oil so it doesn’t stick together. Set aside.
Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Add a splash of olive oil and the chicken thighs (whole). Cook until golden brown and crispy on one side, then turn over and cook for another few minutes to brown the other side. Transfer to a roasting dish and bake in the oven for 15 minutes to finish off the cooking. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. When cool, tear or cut into bite sized pieces.
While the chicken is in the oven, reduce the heat to medium and the butter and another splash of oil to the same pan (don’t clean it first, the chicken on the bottom adds flavour). Add the onion, garlic and oregano and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft.
Add the milk, cream and the flour mixture to the pan, whisking all the time as you do it until it’s well combined. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or so until the sauce has thickened. Add half the Parmesan and the cheese, and stir until melted. Lastly stir through the peas, spinach, lemon zest and juice, and chicken pieces. Taste and season with salt and cracked pepper to taste (don’t forget this step – it will need seasoning!). Stir the cooked macaroni through, then pour it all into a baking or casserole dish.
Mix the croutons with the remaining Parmesan and a little olive oil and salt. Sprinkle on top of the macaroni as the crust. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until golden, crunchy and bubbling on top.
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