Macaroni and Cheese Stir Fry

Submitted by breezermom

"A mix of stir-fried chicken and veggies, and macaroni and cheese. Sounds strange, but I like that the stir fried veggies are still crisp. This is more of a casserole, but with not "soggy" veggies."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 1⁄2 cup frozen English peas, thawed
• 1⁄4 cup butter, divided
• 1 lb chicken breast halve, skinned, boned, and cut into strips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
• 1 cup carrot, scraped and sliced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1⁄2 cups American cheese, shredded (6 oz....you can use other types of cheese, but American melts better and is less stringy than chedda)

directions

1. Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain well and set aside.
2. Cook the peas according to package directions. Drain well and set aside. (I just add them to the macaroni towards the end of the cooking time).
3. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large Dutch oven or wok. Add the chicken, garlic, and bouillon granules; stir fry for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the chicken is lightly browned. Remove the chicken and set aside.
4. Add the remaining 2 tbsp butter, broccoli, onion, red bell pepper, carrots, tarragon, and lemon-pepper.; stir fry for 1 minute. Cover and cook until the broccoli is tender. Stir in reserved macaroni, peas, chicken, and cook until thoroughly heated.
5. Combine flour and 1 tbsp milk; stir until it is smooth. Gradually add the remaining milk, stirring until blended. Add the milk mixture to the macaroni mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
6. Add the cheese; cook, stirring constantly, until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Reviews

[Annacia]

I really liked this but DH wasn't thrilled with having veggies in his mac and cheese (remember, this is a man who still loves KD and wish's I'd quit "messing around" with his Kraft standard of excellence so take his opinion for what it worth when it comes to mac and cheese). Even though I think he's nuts there may be others like him out there so I split my rating and his for 4 stars. So, moving ahead, I'm quite happy to get extra veggies in pretty much anything and I really enjoyed this. A new take on something is always welcome to me. I really liked that the veg weren't over cooked and squishy. I would make this again for myself. :D

 

[Sharon123]

I used whole wheat macaroni and almond milk, also cheddar cheese. I enjoyed all the veggies! I halved the recipe and now have lunch for tomorrow. Thanks!