What to do, what to do? Macaroni and Chicken Bake
So, I couldn't decide what to make for dinner. And I thought, what will the kids eat? Macaroni and cheese-- no brainer there. But I kinda need some sort of meat product to feel like I've had "Dinner" dinner, so, hey, Chicken. And crunchy cracker topping is always a welcome addition to any meal. So there you have it. I meant to have some broccoli on the side, but forgot due to the extreme salivating the scent of this baking incited.
So, I couldn't decide what to make for dinner. And I thought, what will the kids eat? Macaroni and cheese-- no brainer there. But I kinda need some sort of meat product to feel like I've had "Dinner" dinner, so, hey, Chicken. And crunchy cracker topping is always a welcome addition to any meal. So there you have it. I meant to have some broccoli on the side, but forgot due to the extreme salivating the scent of this baking incited.
~ Cheese Sauce~
{ I use this for homemade mac and cheese too*}
2 cups milk- [I use 1 cup skim, 1 cup 2%]
2 TB flour
2 TB butter
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups sharp cheddar
2 chicken breasts cooked [ about 1 1/2 cups]
1 TB onion flakes
1/2 can cream o' chicken soup
1/2 box pasta of choice cooked according to directions
*Would be good with about 1 cup or so of broccoli florets mixed in too*
*Would be good with about 1 cup or so of broccoli florets mixed in too*
~Topping~
1 sleeve Ritz [ Reduced Fat] crackers crushed [ *or 1 generous cup crushed Texas Toast Garlic and Cheese croutons*] + 2 TBSP melted butter or margarine
~Directions~
- Heat in microwave safe bowl the first 4 ingredients for 3- 3.5 minutes
- Stir with wire whisk, then add cheese and heat an additional 1.5 minutes
- Stir, add onion.
- Shred chicken and mix with prepared pasta in 9X11 baking dish. Cover with cheese sauce. stir.
- Top with crushed crackers and margarine blend.
- Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until cracker topping is golden.
