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Baked mac & cheese w/chicken and broccoli?

I saw a recipe for stovetop mac & cheese w/chicken and broccoli mixed in, but I'm a huge fan of baked mac & cheese, so I'm trying to change the recipe around to work for that. This is what I was thinking of doing, I'm seeing if anyone else has better ideas or if this should work. Make the mac & cheese, partially steam the broccoli, and partially pan fry small pieces of chicken, then mix and add to casserole dish. Or would I even need to bother partially cooking the broccoli and chicken pieces? I'll be cooking it at 350 for about 1/2 hour (or longer if needed). I have plenty of time to kill before making it, which is part of the reason why I'm asking on here... just to see if anyone has better ideas :) Thanks!

Public Comments

1. Mmm. Sounds fantastic. Personally I would season the chicken and cook it all the way through to make sure it is done and to make sure it is ncely seasoned. Par cook the broccoli too. Just add it the last couple of minutes to the pasta then you will only have one pot. Then just mix it all together with your sauce and bake it.
2. I kinda just like my mac and cheese just plain old mac and cheese without a lot of other stuff in there. But enjoy this one on me! Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan 1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped Salt and pepper 1 small onion, chopped 1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatapi corkscrew shaped pasta twists 2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in produce department 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 3 cups whole milk 1 cup chicken stock 3 cups yellow sharp Cheddar 1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni. Heat a medium pan over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5 to 7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve. To boiling pasta water, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender. While pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat a little to bring sauce to a quick boil. Simmer sauce to thicken about 5 minutes. Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli. Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, about a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings, transfer to a large serving platter and serve.
3. Episode#: TM1F18 Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped Salt and pepper 1 small onion, chopped 1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatappi corkscrew shaped pasta twists 2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in produce department 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 3 cups whole milk 1 cup chicken stock 3 cups yellow sharp Cheddar 1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni. Heat a medium pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5 to 7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve. To boiling pasta water, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender. While pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes. Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to the pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli. Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a large serving platter and serve. Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Yield: 6 servings
4. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped Salt and pepper 1 small onion, chopped 1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatappi corkscrew shaped pasta twists 2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in produce department 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 3 cups whole milk 1 cup chicken stock 3 cups yellow sharp Cheddar 1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni. Heat a medium pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5 to 7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve. To boiling pasta water, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender. While pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes. Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to the pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli. Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a large serving platter and serve.
5. =)THIS IS BAKED!! Macaroni and Cheese With Broccoli and Chicken 35 min | 10 min prep | SERVES 8 Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 lb chicken breast tenders, chopped salt and pepper 1 small white onion, chopped 3 tablespoons green onions or chives 1 lb elbow macaroni 2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, chopped 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 1/2 cups whole milk 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 cup chicken broth 3 cups yellow sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or shredded parmesan cheese Directions 1Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and chives and cook another 6 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve. 2In a separate pot boil water, add pasta and salt. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and the broccoli is just tender. 3Meanwhile, heat a large pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and garlic and whisk together over heat until it thickens, then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk, heavy cream and stock and raise heat to bring the sauce to a quick boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes. 4Drain macaroni and broccoli florets. Add back to the pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli. 5Add cheese to milk sauce and stir. Pour sauce over pasta and stir to combine. 6Put pasta in a 9" x 13" glass baking pan. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and broil for 5 minutes
6. My husband loves cut-up veggies in the layers of baked macaroni... but I usually use onions & red and green bell peppers. I'm a big fan of throwing leftover veggies into other things though ... except that broccoli might overcook and turn that ugly olive green color if you bake it too long:) The chicken should be really good in there though - why don't you just serve steamed broccoli on the side?