One Pot Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese

Another one-pot dinner! I just love one pot dinners because they keep the dishes to a minimum. I do want to spend my whole evening cooking then cleaning up the kitchen! This one-pot Tuscan chicken mac and cheese a grown-up twist on classic comfort food. The bonus is, kids like it too! And the chicken gives it a little extra protein.

To make this one-pot Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese you will need the following –

2 large skinless boneless chicken breast pounded out to 1 inch thick
Salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Dried Parsley
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Butter
1 small Yellow Onion, chopped
6 cloves Garlic, minced
1/3 C White Wine or Chicken Broth
9 oz Sun-Dried Tomato Strips in Oil (reserve 2 tbsp of the oil and discard the rest)
3 tbsp Flour
2 C Chicken Broth
3 C Whole Milk
2 tsp Dried Italian Herbs
10 oz Large Elbow Macaroni
3 C Baby Spinach Leaves
1 C Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
3/4 C Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 C Cheddar Cheese, shredded
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

The first thing you want to do is pound that chicken to be about 1 inch thick. You can use the flat side of a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin to pound them flat.

Once the chicken is flattened it’s time to season them. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, paprika, dried parsley, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil.

In a large pot, I used a dutch oven, heat the remaining oil over medium to high heat.

Once the oil is heat place the chicken in and sear on both sides until golden brown, then cook until they are no longer pink in the middle. Once they are cook, remove from the pan and set on a plate. I kept mine in the microwave to keep the chicken warm while I made the mac and cheese. You can also cover it with tin foil.

In the same pan, we used to cook the chicken, add the butter and let it melt over medium heat.

Then add in the onion and garlic and cook until the onion becomes translucent. This will take about 2 minutes, stir the mixture while it is cooking.

Next, pour in the white wine or chicken broth, whichever you prefer, and simmer for 5 minutes. You are reducing the mixture so it will thicken a little.

Once the mixture has reduced add in the sun-dried tomatoes along with the 2 tbsp of oil we reserved from the jar of tomatoes. Cook this for about 2 minutes.

Then stir the flour into the pot and let it cook for another minute to help combine it.

Add in the chicken broth, 2 1/2 C of whole milk, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Bring it to a low simmer. Be sure to not boil this or you can curdle the milk.

Pour in the noodles and let the pot simmer for about 9-10 minutes. Be sure to stir it occasionally.

Once the noodles are cooked, stir in the baby spinach and cook long enough for the spinach to wilt.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in all the cheeses.

Salt and pepper to taste.

If you feel the sauce is too thick add a little bit more milk and stir until combined.

Slice your chicken and place it in the pot. Sprinkle with the parsley and enjoy!

Be sure to check out some of our other yummy dinner recipes.