Everyone loves a good mac & cheese. It's the ultimate comfort food and fills you with a satisfying taste. But conventional mac & cheese isn't the best for our nutrition goals as it's carb-heavy and lacks a solid amount of protein to balance it out.
Well, not anymore. This Chipotle Chicken Mac & Cheese from Razi Kahn is packed with protein and won't sacrifice any of the flavor of traditional mac & cheese. It's creamy, cheesy, protein-dense, and lower in calories. Let's check it out.
- Servings
- 3
Ingredients
- The Pasta:
- water (to boil)
- desired amount of salt
- 170 grams macaroni (or any pasta shape)
- The Chicken:
- 400 grams chicken breast (chopped)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Chipotle Cheese Sauce:
- 1 cup any milk (Razi uses 1%)
- 1/3 cup pasta water
- 1/4 cup light cream cheese (Razi uses 95% light)
- 1/3 cup light mozzarella
- 1/4 cup chipotle peppers, finely chopped (the canned kind in adobo sauce)
Instructions
Boil the water, salt, and macaroni and stir for seven minutes.
Save 1/3 cup of the pasta water.
Take your chopped chicken breast and put it in a separate dish. Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and chili powder. Mix well.
Cook the chicken for six to seven minutes in a frying pan.
Take your frying pan and add the milk, pasta water, light cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, and chipotle peppers. Smear until thickened.
Mix in the macaroni and chicken. Enjoy!
Notes:
- Top it off with optional cilantro or chili flakes for an extra kick in flavor
- Make sure to cook the sauce on low heat and be patient so it lightly thickens and does not burn
- Double this recipe to have 6 servings so you can enjoy it as a meal prep for the entire week!
Nutritional info per serving:
| Calories | 465 |
|---|---|
| Total Fat | 10g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 48g |
| Protein | 46g |
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A Rutgers University Honors graduate, Jamie grew up on the Jersey shore and double majored in Comparative Literature and Anthropology in college. Jamie is an experienced writer in the health and wellness, biotech, and eCommerce fields. She loves writing with a purpose and has even written for the Department of Justice.
Jamie became drawn to exercise during her time in university and began to notice the physical and mental benefits of moving your body daily. Today, Jamie enjoys Pilates, light weight training, and going on long walks in nature daily.
Jamie is also passionate about eating right and prioritizing gut health and immunity. She is always trying the next innovation in health and wellness. When she’s not writing articles, Jamie enjoys reading, playing guitar, and finding dogs to play with.
