One Pot Broccoli Chicken Mac And Cheese

This is a Chicken Mac and Cheese that’s made in one pot, where macaroni, chicken and broccoli are all cooked together from raw! The cheese sauce is creamy but made without cream, and the pasta and chicken is perfectly cooked. A complete cosy dinner, on the table in just over 30 minutes!

Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese

I will never abandon my beloved Baked Mac and Cheese. But sometimes you need your mac and cheese to be dinner, not just an enormous bowl of cheese and carbs. 😂

So here’s a mac and cheese that not only makes a respectable dinner with seasoned chicken bites and a giant head of broccoli, it’s actually a healthier version too. Less butter. No cream.

But – I didn’t cut back on cheese. We’re making Mac and Cheese here, after all. Not just Mac!! 🙂

And to top it all off, it’s all made in one pot. Start it on the stove by searing the chicken and making the sauce. Then pour the uncooked macaroni and raw broccoli in, pop it in the oven and like magic, out comes a bubbling Mac and Cheese with perfectly cooked macaroni, tender broccoli and juicy bites of chicken smothered in a creamy sauce. It’s like….magic!

Ingredients in Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese

To make a mac and cheese in one pot, you need to use an exact amount of liquid to macaroni ratio – enough to cook the pasta and create a creamy sauce. Not enough liquid = dry. Too much liquid = soup! Here’s what you need:

1. the chicken

Ingredients in One Pot Chicken Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

Chicken – I like to use boneless thighs as they stay juicier for the bake time required. But you could use breast if you prefer.
Garlic powder – To flavour the chicken. You can substitute this with an Italian Herb Mix.
Salt and pepper – For seasoning.

2. the mac and cheese

Macaroni (elbow pasta) – Feel free to use other pasta that is similar size, like small shells, ditalini, fusilli, penne or cavatappi.
Broccoli – Use one large head, or two smaller ones. The dish can take quite a lot of broccoli, so you can even increase it if you want!
Cheese – Use 2 tightly packed cups (200g) of your favourite cheese that melts well, but not mozzarella as it doesn’t have enough seasoning. I will always be an advocate for shredding your own – it melts more smoothly because packet shredded is coated in anti-clumping agents that can make the sauce a little grainy. But if you have a shredded cheese brand you know and trust, feel free to use it! Australians reading this – I use the Devondale 3 Cheese Blend (Colby, mozzarella, parmesan) and it works very well, no graininess.
Butter – This is the fat I use to cook everything, then when the flour is added it forms a roux – the thickening base for the cheese sauce.
Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour. As mentioned above, this is what thickens the liquid to become the creamy sauce.
Onion and garlic – Sautéed at the beginning to form a flavour base. I recommend not skipping this, it adds extra flavour into the whole dish.
Milk and chicken stock/broth (low sodium) – These are the liquids used to make the sauce. You need quite a lot in order to cook the pasta – 5 cups (1.25 litres) for 300g / 10 oz of pasta. Most of it gets absorbed by the pasta then by the time it is cooked, we need enough liquid to form the creamy sauce.
Full fat milk is best but low-fat works fine too. For the chicken stock, use low sodium, though if full salt is all you’ve got, reduce the salt in the sauce by a bit.

3. Crunchy topping

Panko breadcrumbs – These are chunkier than regular breadcrumbs so they make a crunchier topping!
Butter – I prefer the flavour of butter but you can use olive oil if you prefer.
Parmesan cheese – Just a couple of tablespoons of parmesan to give the topping a flavour boost. I use the sandy-type of grated parmesan (fridge, not aisle – that’s no real parmesan! 🙂 )

How to make One Pot Broccoli Chicken Mac and Cheese

Don’t be alarmed by how soupy it looks when you’re stirring in the cheese. Pasta absorbs liquid astonishingly fast, so in the few minutes it’s under the broiler (oven grill) to brown the crunchy topping, the sauce will from too loose to thick and creamy. Trust! 🙂

How to make One Pot Chicken Mac and Cheese with Broccoli

Sauté – Melt the butter in a large deep oven-proof pan (30cm/12″ wide), or use a large pot. Then sauté the garlic and onion for 2 minutes.
Sear chicken – Add the chicken and sprinkle the chicken seasoning over (garlic powder, salt and pepper). Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, just until the surface of the chicken is sealed but the inside is still raw. You won’t get much colour on the chicken, if at all.

Make roux – Add the flour and stir until you can no longer see flour. The chicken and onion will look like it’s covered in a paste.
Dissolve roux – Add the stock and stir until the roux is dissolved – it will become cloudy. Then add the milk and stir to combine.

Macaroni – Add the uncooked macaroni, stir.
Broccoli – Cover the surface with the raw broccoli florets. Just scatter it across the surface, don’t push it into the liquid.

Bake 20 minutes – Place the lid on and bake for 20 minutes at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).
Cheese it! Remove from the oven and flick it over to the broiler/oven grill on high. Working quickly (but gently!) sprinkle the cheese over and stir it in.

Sprinkle with the crunchy topping.
Golden crunchy topping – Then pop it under the oven grill/broiler for 3 minutes, just to make the crunchy topping golden. Remove and serve straight away!