Honey Pepper Mac Chicken (Printable Version)
Cheesy mac tossed with saucy honey chicken, bacon, and fresh basil packs every bite with comfort and crunch for a dinner win.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 -
450 g rotini
→ Chicken
02 -
710 g breaded chicken tenders
→ Meat Garnish
03 -
5 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
→ Seasoning and Garnish
04 -
Salt, add to your liking
05 -
Black pepper, add as much as you want
06 -
Fresh basil, chopped to sprinkle on top
→ Honey Pepper Sauce
07 -
180 ml honey
08 -
45 ml low sodium soy sauce
09 -
55 g light brown sugar
10 -
Juice of 1 lemon
11 -
60 ml pineapple juice
12 -
15 ml vinegar
13 -
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
14 -
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
→ Cheese Sauce
15 -
113 g unsalted butter
16 -
110 g mozzarella, freshly shredded
17 -
60 g parmesan cheese, shredded
18 -
80 g colby jack cheese, shredded fresh
19 -
2-3 garlic cloves, minced up
20 -
480 ml heavy cream
21 -
Chopped basil, use to your taste
# Steps to Follow:
01 -
Get your chicken strips cooked—either fried or baked till they're crispy. Set 'em aside to cool down a bit.
02 -
Fill a big pot with water and get it boiling. Toss in your rotini and cook it till it's got just a bit of bite, then drain the pasta well.
03 -
Mix honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, lemon juice, vinegar, black pepper, and cayenne in a saucepan. Let it bubble and then keep it on low heat for about 15 minutes till it thickens up a little. Give it a few minutes to cool.
04 -
Melt the butter in your sauté pan over medium. Add in heavy cream and stir the whole time. Toss in mozzarella, parmesan, and colby jack slowly, stirring after each. Sprinkle in garlic, then finish with salt and pepper as you like.
05 -
Take your drained rotini and stir it into the cheesy sauce. Gently fold in those bacon crumbles so every bite's got a little.
06 -
Roll those cooked chicken strips around in the honey pepper sauce till they're nicely glazed all over.
07 -
Spoon the creamy bacon pasta into bowls, top with honey pepper chicken, then add more bacon and some chopped basil if you like extra flavor.
# Additional Notes:
01 -
Switch to gluten-free noodles and find breaded chicken with gluten-free coating or almond flour if you need to skip gluten.