Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese
A delicious copycat recipe of Applebee's Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese, rich with mac and cheese, chicken, and bacon.
Equipment
- saucepan
- large pan
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
Pasta and Meat
- 1 box spiral noodles 16 oz
- 1 bag breaded chicken strips 25 oz
- 5 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- Salt
- Pepper
- Basil
Honey Pepper Sauce
- ¾ cup honey
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 Tbs soy sauce low sodium
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- 1 lemon Juice of 1
- 1 Tbs vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Cheese Sauce
- 1 stick butter
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese freshly shredded
- ¾ cup colby jack cheese freshly shredded
- 2-3 cloves minced garlic
- Chopped fresh basil
Instructions
Preparation
- Bake or deep fry chicken strips according to package directions, set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Mix all Honey Pepper sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool slightly to thicken.
- To make cheese sauce, melt butter and cream together in a large pan.
- Once melted, add cheese one at a time, stirring after each addition, then add garlic and stir until incorporated and everything is melted.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add pasta to pan with sauce and stir to combine, then add bacon and stir until incorporated.
- Dip each chicken strip in the honey pepper sauce until coated and set aside.
- When ready to serve, dish up pasta and top with chicken strips and sprinkle with basil and additional bacon if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1plateCalories: 1037kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 26gFat: 72gSaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 243mgSodium: 1529mgPotassium: 353mgSugar: 67gVitamin A: 2330IUVitamin C: 2.5mgCalcium: 554mgIron: 1.4mg
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