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Baked Mac & Cheese With Popcorn Chicken

Purpose
3-cheese make-ahead oven-baked mac & cheese with crispy popcorn chicken
Yield
8 portions
Prep time
20 minutes
Cook time
50 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

Proteins

  • 900 g of frozen popcorn chicken (Kirkland Signature brand recommended)

Dairy

  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • 3 cups of milk
  • 350 g of shredded old cheddar cheese
  • 250 g of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1⁄2 cup of ground parmesan cheese

Dry ingredients

  • 500 g of macaroni pasta
  • 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon of paprika (preferably smoked)
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon of black pepper

Topping

  • 200 g of shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Breadcrumbs (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large cooking pot, boil macaroni pasta according to package instructions until slightly undercooked, then drain using a strainer and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  3. In the same pot on medium heat, melt butter, then add flour and mix continuously for about 1 minute to form a roux.
  4. Slowly pour in milk while whisking constantly, then moderately increase heat to boil mixture and continue stirring slowly until it thickens slightly.
  5. Lower heat and gradually add a handful of cheddar and mozzarella cheese at a time while stirring until fully melted and smooth. Make sure every handful fully metls before adding an other one.
  6. Gradually mix in parmesan cheese while stirring.
  7. Mix in paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper while stirring.
  8. Combine pasta, frozen popcorn chicken, and cheese sauce until evenly mixed.
  9. Pour everything in a large baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and optional breadcrumbs.
  10. Cover with tin foil and bake for 35 - 40 minutes covered (60 - 75 minutes if frozen).
  11. Remove tin foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until the cheese becomes golden brown and the popcorn chicken is fully cooked and crispy.

Notes

Cooking note: Slightly undercooking the pasta prevents it from becoming mushy after baking.
Cooking note: Using the popcorn chicken directly from frozen prevents it from drying out during the second bake in the oven.
Cooking note: Don't increase the heat too much when trying to boil the sauce before adding the cheese, otherwise it will burn into the pot when whisking.

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