High Protein Honey Garlic Butter Chicken Mac n Cheese
Savor the mouthwatering fusion of sweet and savory with our High Protein Honey Garlic Butter Chicken Mac n Cheese! This hearty dish features succulent chicken drizzled in a rich honey garlic sauce, paired with velvety mac and cheese for a delightful twist. Perfect for meal prep, it’s a protein-packed comfort meal that will keep you coming back for seconds!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- Handful Fresh Chopped Parsley
- 2 Tsp Minced Garlic (10 ml)
- Big Tbsp Minced Garlic (15 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 800g Raw Chicken Breast cut into cubes (1.76 lbs)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(4)
- 30g Light Butter (Brand: Lurpak) for cooking + extra once cooked (2.1 tbsp)
- 160g Light Cream Cheese (Brand: Philadelphia) (5.65 oz)
- 100g Low Fat Cheddar Cheese (You can use any low fat cheese you have available) (3.53 oz)optionalany low fat cheese
- 300ml Skimmed Milk (10.1 fl oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 30g Honey (15g Honey per batch of chicken) (1.06 oz)
- 2 Tsp Olive Oil (10 ml)
- 220g Uncooked Macaroni Pasta or any pasta of your choice (7.77 oz)optionalany pasta of your choice
🧂Spices & Seasonings(9)
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper (5 ml)
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper (2.5 ml)
- 1.5 Tsp Garlic Powder (7.5 ml)
- 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg (adds a great deep flavour!) (2.5 ml)
- 1.5 Tsp Onion Powder (7.5 ml)
- 1.5 Tep Paprika or Smoked Paprika (7.5 ml)optional
- 1.5 Tsp Salt (7.5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Salt or to taste (5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika (5 ml)
📦Other(1)
- 1 Tsp Chilli Flakes (leave it out if you don’t want it spicy) (5 ml)optional
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Get a pan on medium heat first then add butter. Let it melt then add your chicken (don’t overcrowd the pan). Cook for 4-5 mins on one side first till you get a nice golden brown crust. Then cook the other side for 3-4 mins more.
- 2
Lower the heat completely when adding the extra butter, garlic and honey. Mix till well coated and sticky then set aside.
- 3
On medium low heat cook the minced garlic in the residue butter of the chicken for 2 mins till fragrant. Then add milk, cream cheese, spices. Mix this till completely smooth then lower the heat before adding the cheddar cheese. Stir till it melts then add your cooked macaroni and give it a good mix then Serve & ENJOY!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cook chicken in batches with at least 1 inch of space between pieces because overcrowding drops pan temperature below 300°F, causing the meat to steam and release moisture instead of achieving Maillard browning.technique300°F+ surface temp
- ✓Pull the chicken when internal temp hits 155°F, not 165°F, since it will continue cooking during the honey-garlic glazing step and residual carryover heat will bring it to a safe 165°F without drying out the proteins.timing155°F pull temp, carries to 165°F
- ✓Lower the heat to medium-low before adding honey to the butter and garlic, since honey's fructose content caramelizes and burns starting around 230°F, well below the smoke point of butter alone.techniquebelow 230°F
- ✓Cut cream cheese into small cubes and let it come to room temp before adding to the sauce, because cold cream cheese in a 165-180°F liquid will seize and form lumps rather than emulsifying smoothly into the fat and dairy proteins.ingredient165-180°F sauce temp
- ✓Remove the pan from heat entirely before stirring in shredded cheddar and add it in three additions, since cheese proteins (casein) break and turn grainy above 150°F, releasing separated fat instead of forming a smooth emulsion.techniquebelow 150°F
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
High Protein Honey Garlic Butter Chicken Mac n Cheese
Savor the mouthwatering fusion of sweet and savory with our High Protein Honey Garlic Butter Chicken Mac n Cheese! This hearty dish features succulent chicken drizzled in a rich honey garlic sauce, paired with velvety mac and cheese for a delightful twist. Perfect for meal prep, it’s a protein-packed comfort meal that will keep you coming back for seconds!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- Handful Fresh Chopped Parsley
- 2 Tsp Minced Garlic (10 ml)
- Big Tbsp Minced Garlic (15 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 800g Raw Chicken Breast cut into cubes (1.76 lbs)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(4)
- 30g Light Butter (Brand: Lurpak) for cooking + extra once cooked (2.1 tbsp)
- 160g Light Cream Cheese (Brand: Philadelphia) (5.65 oz)
- 100g Low Fat Cheddar Cheese (You can use any low fat cheese you have available) (3.53 oz)optionalany low fat cheese
- 300ml Skimmed Milk (10.1 fl oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(3)
- 30g Honey (15g Honey per batch of chicken) (1.06 oz)
- 2 Tsp Olive Oil (10 ml)
- 220g Uncooked Macaroni Pasta or any pasta of your choice (7.77 oz)optionalany pasta of your choice
🧂Spices & Seasonings(9)
- 1 Tsp Black Pepper (5 ml)
- 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper (2.5 ml)
- 1.5 Tsp Garlic Powder (7.5 ml)
- 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg (adds a great deep flavour!) (2.5 ml)
- 1.5 Tsp Onion Powder (7.5 ml)
- 1.5 Tep Paprika or Smoked Paprika (7.5 ml)optional
- 1.5 Tsp Salt (7.5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Salt or to taste (5 ml)
- 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika (5 ml)
📦Other(1)
- 1 Tsp Chilli Flakes (leave it out if you don’t want it spicy) (5 ml)optional
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Get a pan on medium heat first then add butter. Let it melt then add your chicken (don’t overcrowd the pan). Cook for 4-5 mins on one side first till you get a nice golden brown crust. Then cook the other side for 3-4 mins more.
- 2
Lower the heat completely when adding the extra butter, garlic and honey. Mix till well coated and sticky then set aside.
- 3
On medium low heat cook the minced garlic in the residue butter of the chicken for 2 mins till fragrant. Then add milk, cream cheese, spices. Mix this till completely smooth then lower the heat before adding the cheddar cheese. Stir till it melts then add your cooked macaroni and give it a good mix then Serve & ENJOY!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cook chicken in batches with at least 1 inch of space between pieces because overcrowding drops pan temperature below 300°F, causing the meat to steam and release moisture instead of achieving Maillard browning.technique300°F+ surface temp
- ✓Pull the chicken when internal temp hits 155°F, not 165°F, since it will continue cooking during the honey-garlic glazing step and residual carryover heat will bring it to a safe 165°F without drying out the proteins.timing155°F pull temp, carries to 165°F
- ✓Lower the heat to medium-low before adding honey to the butter and garlic, since honey's fructose content caramelizes and burns starting around 230°F, well below the smoke point of butter alone.techniquebelow 230°F
- ✓Cut cream cheese into small cubes and let it come to room temp before adding to the sauce, because cold cream cheese in a 165-180°F liquid will seize and form lumps rather than emulsifying smoothly into the fat and dairy proteins.ingredient165-180°F sauce temp
- ✓Remove the pan from heat entirely before stirring in shredded cheddar and add it in three additions, since cheese proteins (casein) break and turn grainy above 150°F, releasing separated fat instead of forming a smooth emulsion.techniquebelow 150°F