Chicken Mac and Cheese. What is it about it that with just one bite, it immediately feels like you are getting a great big hug from your Grandmother? Or like your snuggling up with the coziest of blankets on the coolest of evenings. Chicken Mac and Cheese is one of those comforting meals that makes you feel better no matter what the situation. It also seems like one of those dishes that I make to take to friends and family on so many occasions.
Sick member of the family? Chicken Mac and Cheese will surely make them feel better – or at the very least help them so they don’t have cook for their family.
New baby? A casserole dish full of Chicken Mac and Cheese is great for them to keep in the freezer until just the night when they have no idea what’s for supper. It definitely happens when new babies arrive, doesn’t it?
New neighbor? Nothing welcomes them to the area like a pan of this stuff. They will never want to move away so use it with extreme caution.
Chicken Mac and Cheese just works, y’all. I promise.
The wonderful thing about this recipe, in addition to its pure comfort, is it easily makes enough for two 9×13 casserole dishes. In other words, it even makes enough for a family reunion or church covered dish, to have one for yourself and one to share, to eat tonight and have one ready made in the freezer for another busy evening.
Since it’s already fully cooked, you just have to remove it from the freezer the night before and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. If I’ve not planned that far in advance, I’ll place it in the oven while the oven is preheating and then just cook it until it is well-heated throughout, an extra 10 to 20 minutes or so.
You can also shorten the total initial cooking time of this Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe by using store-bought rotisserie chicken for a quicker-cook meal.
Here’s the recipe for my Chicken Mac and Cheese you can save to your recipe box, print, or bookmark.
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 16 ounces package elbow noodles
- 16 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
- 2 10¾ ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
- ¾ cup pimento pepper, chopped (large jar)
- 1 large sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook chicken, covered with water, in a large stockpot over medium heat until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from stockpot with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.
- Pour elbow noodles into stockpot over medium heat and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. As the noodles are cooking, chop chicken into bite sized pieces. Once noodles are cooked, strain them from chicken stock, reserving the chicken stock for later use.
- Add noodles and chicken to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well-combined.
- Pour into two 9×13 casserole pans.
- Cover with Ritz Crackers on top. (optional)
- Bake at 350º degrees for 30 minutes.
- Place in preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
- For freezing, prepare with the exception of baking. Wrap tightly with aluminum foil and store in the freezer. The night before ready to serve, place in the refrigerator to allow to thaw before cooking. Then cook as normal. If planning to bake frozen, place in the oven while it is preheating and add about 10-20 minutes to the cooking time to make sure heated throughout.
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Mix all ingredients except Ritz Crackers in a large bowl. Pour into a baking dish.
- Cover with Ritz Crackers on top.
- Bake at 350º degrees for 30 minutes.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does. Best of all, I hope you enjoy sharing it with others.
Love ya,
Robyn xoxo
If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy:
Avocado Mac and Cheese from Two Peas and Their Pod
Three Cheese and Sausage Mac and Cheese from Picky Palate
Cajun Chicken Pasta from The Pioneer Woman
+ more pasta on Add a Pinch
+ more quick-cook shortcuts at Cooking Light
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Oh yeah…I think mac and cheese is just everyone’s favorite comfort food. With chicken? Even better! I’m always a meat lover and I would add ground beef in my mac too.
Can’t wait to give this a try.
Oh yes, that sounds wonderful, Amy.
I can see this being a big hit with my daughter! A perfect comfort food. Maybe I should teach her how to make it before she leaves for college in a couple of years. She may need it. ; )
Oh yes, she definitely needs to know how to make this before heading off for school. The things I ate my first years of college make me shudder to think of them.
Mac and cheese is truly my favorite meal. I am unable to resist it’s powers. THis one sounds fabulous!!!!
Thanks so much, Kristan. I can’t resist a good Mac and Cheese either.
Looks awesome ~ I would even eat this for breakfast
Thanks, Marla. It will certainly fill you up and keep you going!
This looks so creamy and comforting Robyn! I love a casserole dinner!
Me, too! Thanks so much, Renee.
My family would LOVE THIS Robyn!!
Thanks, Cheryl. I can’t wait to hear if you try it.
The best kind of mac n cheese is the kind that has leftovers! Perfect!
Oh my goodness are you ever right! It’s hard to have leftovers with Mac and Cheese, too.
I love that this mac and cheese is a fully acceptable meal all in itself.
Absolutely! No other additional items necessary!
Okay you twisted my arm…I have to make this!! It looks so comforting!
LOL! Thanks, Julie!
Yes, you’re right…Mac and cheese is like a hug from grandma! On my to try list!!!
Isn’t it? That’s probably why I was craving it so badly.
I love this already – I have been majorly craving mac & cheese lately!
Me, too!!! Do you think it’s because we’re longing for Fall so much?
Two of my favorite things….casseroles and Ritz Crackers. Put’em together and you have one fantastic meal!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe, and I will be sharing it this week.
Thanks so much, Mary. It is definitely a classic Southern combination, isn’t it?
This really is the ultimate versatile dish. This is especially perfect for when it (hopefully!) starts to cool down outside, and you just want to stay nice ‘n’ cozy under a blanket watching TV. We’d love for you to submit a similar recipe to The Search for the Ultimate Weeknight Meal, offering a grand-prize to one lucky blogger who will tape a segment to air on national TV!
Honestly, if someone had passed by with a pan of mac & cheese after I had Clara, I would have loved them forever! This looks like the perfect postpartum meal.
Yummy! I’ve made chicken mac and cheese before but it never looked as good as this!