Chicken mac ’n’ cheese
SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK TIME 40 MINUTES
400g macaroni 300g broccoli, cut into florets 4 rashers bacon, chopped 2 cloves garlic, crushed 50g butter, chopped ⅓ cup (50g) plain flour 1 litre (4 cups) milk 1 cup (80g) finely grated parmesan cheese 2½ cups (400g) reserved chopped cooked chicken from Salt and Pepper Chicken with Crunchy Carrot Salad (see recipe, left) 1 cup (120g) frozen peas ½ cup (35g) panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs 20g butter, melted, extra 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 cup (100g) grated mozzarella cheese
1 Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Oil a 3-litre (12-cup) ovenproof dish or pan. 2 Cook macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until almost tender. Add broccoli to pan; boil for 2 minutes. Drain macaroni and broccoli; transfer to a large bowl. 3 Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a medium frying pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until browned lightly. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add to bowl. 4 Melt butter in the same large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour; cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until bubbling. Gradually stir in milk. Cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in parmesan; season to taste. Transfer to bowl with macaroni; stir in chicken and peas until combined. Season to taste. Transfer mixture to ovenproof dish. 5 Combine breadcrumbs, extra butter, parsley and mozzarella in a small bowl; sprinkle over pasta mixture in dish. 6 Bake for about 10 minutes or until browned lightly. Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.