Remember that time in your life when all you wanted was mac-n-cheese….wait… that’s techinally daily in the McDonald household! So the deal is, if I can somehow use leftovers to jazz up mac-n-cheese, we can have it roughly once a week. Well my hubby was in luck tonight!
I made baked chicken breast in the oven yesterday and had a ton leftover. (PS I bought this sounthwestern flavored frozen chicken breast from Aldi. Ick. Not what I thought it would be like so really when I say I had a “ton” left, what I actually mean is I have an entire package of cooked chicken left. This stuff was not a hit!)
Knowing full well that this mama is on a budget, you bet your sweet dupa I was going to figure out how to use this “leftover” chicken. I always have peppers and onions so fajitas it is! But…. I am craaaavvvviiiiinnngggg mac-n-cheese!! This is when it hits me…. let’s do this dirty dance, mac-n-cheese, and add the fajitas to you!
While the noodles were boiling, I sautéed about 10 mini sweet peppers and about 8 green onions in oil along with salt and pepper. I then added the dreaded chicken. To mask that southwesternly odd taste, I added about 1/2 large jar of chunky salsa to the chicken and veggies. When the noodles were cooked, I added those then squeezed that heavenly cheese sauce into the pan. As if this wasn’t enough cheese, I added a 1/2 bag of shredded cheese. Mix. Mix. Mix.
I poured it into a greased 9×13 glass baking dish, sprinkled breadcrumbs and shredded cheese on the top folllowed by cilantro (which ended up being pointless in my book) and baked it at 400* for 20 minutes.
Holy cow was this Delish! I wasn’t pumped about the chicken still but I’m sure with regular chicken breast that I flavor myself, this dish will be off the chart!
Grocery list:
- 2 packs shells and cheese-any brand, but let’s be honest, Velveeta S and C is the bomb.com.
- 1 large jar chunky salsa
- A small bag of mini sweet peppers (10 needed)
- Bundle of green onions (8 needed)
- Leftover chicken – do yourself a favor and don’t buy the southwestern flavored from Aldi. I did the tastetesting for you already. You’re welcome.
- Oil
- Salt and pepper
Happy Cooking (and eating)!
Please Ask For Seconds! 