Ingredients
8ozdry macaroni
½sweet onion,chopped
1clovegarlic,minced
¼cupunsalted butter
3tbspall purpose flour
2cupswhole milk,or 2% milk
2cupscheddar cheese,grated
1tspmustard,dried, optional
2cupschicken,shredded and cooked
¼tspsalt
¼tspblack pepper
2tbspunsalted butter
¾cupbreadcrumbs,such as panko
Preparation
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, or according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and keep the pasta from sticking together. Set aside.
In a large pot over medium heat, add butter. Once the butter is melted, add chopped onions and cook for a few minutes until they turn translucent.
Then add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir the flour into the onion and garlic mixture and cook for a minute.
Slowly add the milk while stirring. The flour and onion mixture will thicken as the milk is added. Once all the milk is added, stir in the grated cheese and mustard. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheese has melted.
Once the cheese is melted, stir in the chicken and cooked pasta. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Whenever there are a few spare moments while assembling this pasta (like, while cooking the onions or while waiting for the cheese to melt), cook the breadcrumbs.
Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs until well combined. Continue to stir over low heat until the breadcrumbs are browned.
Remove from the heat and let cool. Breadcrumbs can also be toasted ahead of time and stored in an airtight container.
Ladle the cheesy chicken macaroni right out of the pot when it’s super creamy, and top it with crispy breadcrumbs.
