Funky Chicken Mac’N’Cheese

So I still had some leftover rotisserie chicken and I was trying to think of a meal that could be frozen for our friends who recently had a baby. I thought about what to make and it reminded me of the time one of my most favorite food bloggers, Joelen, had filled her freezer two weeks before her due date with tons of pre-made foods not only for her and her husband but also for family and friends that would come to visit her and the new baby (crazy right!) Well I took a look at her Freezer choices and saw that she had frozen mac’n’cheese and then it hit me. And so, here is a mac’n’cheese I made with all the yummy things I had at my disposal. It turned out delicious.

Ingredients:

Servings: 6
5 cups uncooked pasta (I used fusili)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 or 2 onions, chopped fine
1 shallot, chopped fine
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp butter
3 cups milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp hot water
3 cups grated cheese (2 cups Mexican blend of jack and cheddar, 1 cup cheddar)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsps each of garlic powder, chili powder, and onion powder
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
1 or 2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup of cooked chicken, chopped (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
salt and pepper to taste

topping:
2 cups bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried parsley

Directions:

Cook pasta , drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat oil in a skillet to medium heat. Add onions, shallot, and garlic and saute until completely tender, around 10 minutes.
In a dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the milk and butter together until almost bubbling.
In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together until not lumpy, then pour into milk mixture. Stir constantly with a whisk until thickened.
Add all cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt. Add all spices and parsley. Combine together well.
Stir in tomatoes and chicken and stir on medium heat for less than 5 minutes, making sure to melt sauce completely and combine all ingredients.
Stir pasta into cheese sauce mixture until fully coated. Keep pasta in the Dutch oven for baking or spoon out into an oven safe baking dish.
In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, spices, and Parmesan together. Sprinkle topping on top of cheese covered pasta in baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes until warm and bubbly. Enjoy!