Honey Pepper Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Apparently this is a copy cat recipe from Applebee's. I have not eaten at an Applebee's in many years, so I can not say how close of a copy cat this is. But what I can tell you is that it is delicious. The macaroni and cheese is creamy and cheesy. The chicken strips are crunchy and the flavor is amazing. They are both so good I would eat either the macaroni and cheese or the chicken strips by themselves.

Honey Pepper Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds breaded chicken strips
• 16 ounces cavatappi noodles
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Honey Pepper Sauce

• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Cheese Sauce

• 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded Colby jack cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bake the chicken strips according to directions (see notes).
2. Cook pasta according to the package directions and drain.
3. While the chicken and pasta are cooking, prepare the honey pepper sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the mixture has thickened, stirring often.
4. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan add in the butter and heavy cream. Heat over medium heat until the butter has completely melted, stirring occasionally. Add in all of the cheese and reduce the heat. Stir often until the cheeses have completely melted and everything is combined. Season with black pepper.
5. Add the pasta and bacon to the cheese sauce and stir to combine.
6. When the chicken strips are done and the sauce is done, coat the chicken strips in the sauce.
7. Serve the chicken strip on top of the macaroni and cheese.

Enjoy!!!

Notes:

I made my own breaded chicken strips, but you could use frozen. Just cook according to the recipe directions or package directions. Here is a link to the recipe I used, Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders.

To reduce the calories in this dish you can swap the heavy whipping cream for half and half and that will save about 160 calories per serving. To reduce the calories even more, you could use 2% milk and that would save about 227 calories per serving. Just note that you will lose some of the creaminess by swapping out the heavy whipping cream.

Nutrition Facts
Serves: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1,107
Total Fat		62.1g
Saturated Fat		37.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat		0.9g
Monounsaturated Fat		5.4g
Trans Fat		0g
Cholesterol		285.6mg
Sodium		1359.5mg
Potassium		72.3mg
Total Carbohydrates		93.9g
Dietary Fiber		2g
Sugars		45.6g
Protein		44.5g
Vitamin A 40.21% Vitamin C 12.76%
Calcium 34.25% Iron 9.76%
*Nutritional information will vary depending on the brands you use.

*Adapted from Tornadough Alli.