Name: Green Chile Chicken Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: southwest
Ingredients: 2 quarts water; 1 tsp salt; 8 oz small-shaped pasta, such as shells, elbows, or bowties (I used whole wheat); 2 tbsp butter; 2 tbsp flour (or 3/4 tbsp cornstarch for gluten-free); 1 cup milk; pinch of salt; pinch of freshly cracked black pepper; pinch of garlic powder; 4 oz white cheddar cheese, freshly grated (about 1 cup); 1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles (or a 4-oz can); 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

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Spice up your stove top mac and cheese with this recipe for green chile chicken mac and cheese! It's a complete meal in one easy, 20 minute recipe using only 8 ingredients, and it's perfect for using leftover chicken! (gluten-free option)

Mr. Table really knows how to get me to make something he wants to eat. Before this recipe, I'd never really made homemade mac and cheese because the only way I knew was the way my mom made it - with Velveeta. As tasty as it was back then, I'm not going there now.

But one day, Mr. Table said to me, 'I bet you don’t even know how to make mac and cheese.' Challenge accepted. And this green chile chicken mac and cheese was born.

It took a while to get the recipe just right - a delicate balance of ease and the best tasting, best textured mac and cheese. But I finally found the winner - an easy stove top white cheddar mac and cheese recipe with spicy green chiles and chunks of chicken that makes a quick and delicious meal whenever you're craving comfort food.

Why You'll Love This Green Chile Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe

First of all, green chiles. If you love a little southwest flair, you'll love the flavor that green chiles adds to this mac and cheese!
No questionable ingredients (looking at you, Velveeta). Just real pasta, real white cheddar cheese, milk, butter, flour, and spices.
It's made on the stove top and ready in just 20 minutes.
It's a great way to use leftover chicken.
It's delicious! A luxurious, creamy, white cheddar cheese sauce with toothsome pasta, flecked with a touch of spice from the green chiles and a hearty dose of chicken. It's comfort food at it's core.

How to Make Green Chile Chicken Mac and Cheese on the Stove

First, boil your noodles in some salted water. Cook them just until al dente so that they hold up well. Drain it but don’t rinse. The starches will help the sauce stick to the noodles.
While the noodles are cooking, shred the cheese, chop the chicken, and prepare the rest of the ingredients to make the sauce.
Make the roux. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and spices, and whisk to form a golden, bubbly paste.
Reduce the heat and slowly add the milk, whisking, until you have a thickened sauce. You don't want the mixture to boil.
Turn off the heat and add the grated cheese. Keep whisking until you have a smooth sauce.
Pour the sauce into the drained noodles. Add green chiles and chicken, and gently stir to coat everything with the sauce. You can turn the heat on low to bring the temperature back up if needed, but don't get it too hot.

Pro Tips For Making Green Chile Chicken Mac and Cheese

In my many rounds of testing for this mac and cheese recipe, I made all the mistakes so you don't have to. Here's what I learned.

Don't overcook your noodles. You want them just al dente so that they hold up well when you stir them into the sauce. Nobody likes mushy noodles. Go with the lower cooking time on the package.
Don't use pre-shredded cheese. Buy the block and grate the cheese yourself. It will result in a smoother, creamier sauce. Pre-shredded cheese has starches added to keep the cheese from caking, which will cause your cheese sauce to be grainy. To make the process easy, grate the cheese before you start making the sauce. It comes together pretty fast, so you want your ingredients standing by and ready to go!
While we're talking about cheese, I found that cheddar and white cheddar are the best for this mac and cheese. They have the best melt and flavor. I tried monterey jack (too stringy), and you probably have already guessed how I feel about American cheese or the loaf 'cheese' that can sit out at room temperature. Go with cheddar. After making this at least once, then you can experiment with adding other kinds of cheese, such as gouda or gruyere.

Do I have to use a roux for mac and cheese?

Yes. I tried to get around it for y'all, but if you want the best, creamiest mac and cheese, you need to make a roux. The versions I tried without it resulted in a thin, runny sauce that wouldn't coat the noodles and clumps of cheese that just stuck to the pot and the spoon. So yes, you need to use flour.

A roux sounds fancy, but it's not hard. Simply melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, and whisk to make a paste. I add the spices in with the flour, but you can also add them later. Let it get golden and bubbly before adding the milk and then the cheese. This will serve as the thickener for the sauce and make it smooth, creamy and thick for coating the noodles.

Ingredient Substitutions

We already talked about the cheese - use either white cheddar or cheddar.
To make this gluten-free, you can use your favorite gluten-free pasta (be very careful not to overcook it) and substitute the flour for cornstarch. Cornstarch is a better thickener than flour, so you'll only need about ¾ of a tablespoon. I haven't tried the recipe with other starches, like potato starch or tapioca starch, but if you do try it, start with ½ tablespoon.
To make this dairy-free, HA JUST KIDDING! It's mac and cheese guys, you need dairy.

If you've never made homemade mac and cheese before, go for it! It's easy, much better for you than the boxed kind, and taste so much better too! You won't regret learning how to make it, especially with this tasty green chile chicken mac and cheese.

Can't get enough green chile? Try these other green chile recipes!

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments!

Green Chile Chicken Mac and Cheese

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Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Category: main dish
Method: stove top
Cuisine: southwest

Ingredients

Scale

2 quarts water
1 tsp salt
8 oz small-shaped pasta, such as shells, elbows, or bowties (I used whole wheat)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour (or ¾ tbsp cornstarch for gluten-free)
1 cup milk
pinch of salt
pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
pinch of garlic powder
4 oz white cheddar cheese, freshly grated (about 1 cup)
½ cup chopped roasted green chiles (or a 4-oz can)
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

Instructions

Bring water to boil in a large pot. Add salt and pasta and cook according to package directions until just al dente.
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
Whisk in flour and cook until thickened, golden and bubbly, about 1 minute. Stir in salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Reduce heat to low and slowly add milk, whisking to combine, until milk is fully incorporated. Cook over low heat until thickened, but not boiling, about 3-4 minutes.
Turn off heat. Stir in cheese. Continue stirring until you have a smooth sauce.
Drain cooked pasta, but don't rinse. Return to the pot and pour in cheese sauce. Stir to coat. Stir in cooked chicken and green chiles, returning stove to low heat if necessary, until warmed through. Serve immediately.

Notes

Cook noodles until just al dente so that they hold up to the sauce well.
Don't use pre-shredded cheese. Buy the block kind and grate it yourself. You can use white cheddar or regular cheddar.
Have your cheese grated and ready to go before you start making the sauce.
For gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free pasta, and substitute ¾ tablespoon corn starch for the flour.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. You can reheat them in the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stove, covered, and adding milk as needed.

Keywords: green chile chicken mac and cheese, stove top white cheddar mac and cheese