High Protein Honey Chipotle Chicken Mac & Cheese
Get ready for a flavor explosion with our High Protein Honey Chipotle Chicken Mac & Cheese! This mouthwatering dish combines tender chicken, a sweet and spicy honey chipotle sauce, and creamy, cheesy goodness, delivering over 60 grams of protein in every hearty serving. Perfect for meal prep, it’s a satisfying way to fuel your day without sacrificing taste!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
6
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 6🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- Diced Parsleyoptional
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 960g Diced Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breast (raw weight) (2.11 lbs)
- 1/2 Tsp Chicken Stock Powder (2.5 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(4)
- 25g Light Butter (Nuttelex Light) (1.75 tbsp)
- 130g Light Grated Cheddar Cheese (Dairyworks Natural Cheddar Cheese) (4.59 oz)
- 120g Light Cream Cheese (4.24 oz)
- 400ml Fat Free Evaporated Milk (Carnation Light & Creamy) (13.5 fl oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 80g Honey (2.82 oz)
- 480g Macaroni/Elbow Pasta (dry weight) (16.9 oz)
- 1 Tsp Olive Oil (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- 2 Tsp Chipotle Seasoning (10 ml)
- 1 Tsp Chipotle Seasoning In 10g Light Butter (5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder (5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika (5 ml)
- 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika (2.5 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 80ml Chipotle Sauce (Brand: Cholula Hot Chipotle Sauce) (2.7 fl oz)
- 40ml Chipotle Sauce (1.35 fl oz)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Start by grabbing your diced chicken, add the seasonings listed in the caption followed by some olive oil, mix well then to a pan melt light butter and cook the chicken on medium to high heat for four minutes on each side.
- 2
Once cooked, lower the heat and add honey with chipotle sauce, parsley and mix well then set it aside.
- 3
Now toast a bit of chipotle seasoning on the same pan then add fat-free evaporated milk, chicken stock powder, smoked paprika, light cream cheese, more chipotle sauce with light grated cheddar cheese and stir until melted and smooth and creamy.
- 4
Now go ahead and boil your pasta and once it's cooked, drain it, add it to the chipotle cheese sauce and mix until well combined.
- 5
Divide everything into six equal servings and enjoy.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cook chicken to exactly 165°F internal temperature, then immediately reduce heat to low before adding honey-chipotle glaze to prevent the honey from burning and turning bitter due to its low smoke point of 300°F.technique165°F internal temp
- ✓Toast chipotle seasoning for 30-45 seconds until fragrant before adding liquids because dry-toasting releases volatile oils and intensifies flavor compounds by 40-60%.timing30-45 seconds
- ✓Add cream cheese to the sauce at 140-160°F and whisk vigorously because higher temperatures cause proteins to seize and create a grainy texture instead of smooth emulsion.technique140-160°F
- ✓Reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining because the starch acts as an emulsifier to bind the cheese sauce to pasta and prevent separation.technique1 cup pasta water
- ✓Use evaporated milk instead of regular milk because it's concentrated to 60% water content, providing more protein for binding without diluting the cheese sauce.ingredient60% water content
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
6
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
High Protein Honey Chipotle Chicken Mac & Cheese
Get ready for a flavor explosion with our High Protein Honey Chipotle Chicken Mac & Cheese! This mouthwatering dish combines tender chicken, a sweet and spicy honey chipotle sauce, and creamy, cheesy goodness, delivering over 60 grams of protein in every hearty serving. Perfect for meal prep, it’s a satisfying way to fuel your day without sacrificing taste!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 6🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- Diced Parsleyoptional
🥩Meat & Seafood(2)
- 960g Diced Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breast (raw weight) (2.11 lbs)
- 1/2 Tsp Chicken Stock Powder (2.5 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(4)
- 25g Light Butter (Nuttelex Light) (1.75 tbsp)
- 130g Light Grated Cheddar Cheese (Dairyworks Natural Cheddar Cheese) (4.59 oz)
- 120g Light Cream Cheese (4.24 oz)
- 400ml Fat Free Evaporated Milk (Carnation Light & Creamy) (13.5 fl oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 80g Honey (2.82 oz)
- 480g Macaroni/Elbow Pasta (dry weight) (16.9 oz)
- 1 Tsp Olive Oil (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- 2 Tsp Chipotle Seasoning (10 ml)
- 1 Tsp Chipotle Seasoning In 10g Light Butter (5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder (5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika (5 ml)
- 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika (2.5 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 80ml Chipotle Sauce (Brand: Cholula Hot Chipotle Sauce) (2.7 fl oz)
- 40ml Chipotle Sauce (1.35 fl oz)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Start by grabbing your diced chicken, add the seasonings listed in the caption followed by some olive oil, mix well then to a pan melt light butter and cook the chicken on medium to high heat for four minutes on each side.
- 2
Once cooked, lower the heat and add honey with chipotle sauce, parsley and mix well then set it aside.
- 3
Now toast a bit of chipotle seasoning on the same pan then add fat-free evaporated milk, chicken stock powder, smoked paprika, light cream cheese, more chipotle sauce with light grated cheddar cheese and stir until melted and smooth and creamy.
- 4
Now go ahead and boil your pasta and once it's cooked, drain it, add it to the chipotle cheese sauce and mix until well combined.
- 5
Divide everything into six equal servings and enjoy.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cook chicken to exactly 165°F internal temperature, then immediately reduce heat to low before adding honey-chipotle glaze to prevent the honey from burning and turning bitter due to its low smoke point of 300°F.technique165°F internal temp
- ✓Toast chipotle seasoning for 30-45 seconds until fragrant before adding liquids because dry-toasting releases volatile oils and intensifies flavor compounds by 40-60%.timing30-45 seconds
- ✓Add cream cheese to the sauce at 140-160°F and whisk vigorously because higher temperatures cause proteins to seize and create a grainy texture instead of smooth emulsion.technique140-160°F
- ✓Reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining because the starch acts as an emulsifier to bind the cheese sauce to pasta and prevent separation.technique1 cup pasta water
- ✓Use evaporated milk instead of regular milk because it's concentrated to 60% water content, providing more protein for binding without diluting the cheese sauce.ingredient60% water content