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Someone in our family…you know who…is going through a serious macaroni and cheese phase. It’s funny how kids get something in their heads and just fixate on it. This has happened to Kenya with tons of foods such as pizza, pasta, yogurt, muffins, cheese, even string beans (seriously, he couldn’t get enough of them) and now he’s obsessed with mac and cheese.
I’ve been having a blast coming up with fun pasta and cheese recipes and these Mac, Chicken and Cheese Bites are a tasty way to give your kids a double boost of protein. I especially love these bites because they fit beautifully in a lunch box and even little kids can easily hold them in their hands. When Kenya first saw these he asked, “What are those” and I said, “mac and cheese muffins”. “Macaroni”, “cheese” and “muffin” all in the same sentence? They were a winner before he even tried the first bite! I wonder if that means this phase will last three times as long?
Mac, Chicken and Cheese Bites
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 Tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 Cup milk
- 1 Cup White Cheddar
- 1/2 Cup parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/4 Cup bread crumbs
- 1 Cup shredded cooked chicken
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions (the pasta I used said to cook for 9-12 minutes, so I cooked it for 10 minutes).
- Drain the pasta and set aside.
- In a small heavy bottomed saucepan melt 2 Tbsp of the butter.
- Whisk in the flour and salt and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the milk in a slow stream and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally .
- Add the white cheddar and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
- Pour the cheese sauce and chicken over the pasta and stir to combine.
- In a bowl, combine the 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
- Grease mini muffin cups.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of the macaroni mixture into the muffin cups, sprinkle the top with the bread and cheese mixture and bake for 15-20 minutes (I cooked mine for 20 mins) or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Cool in muffin cups, remove and serve.
- *Allow to cool and place in ziploc bag,label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, place in toaster oven or oven at 300 for 10 minutes or until heated through.
Nutrition
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I’ve made Mac & Cheese Muffins before, but they turned out dry. Is the Mac & Cheese as creamy as just made? 😀
ME too!! Let me know how they turn out!
These look great! I’m going to try them and reduce the milk by 1/2 cup and substitute 1/2 cup cauliflower puree for some added nutrition. I hope it works!
We made this, but as I’m always trying to find ways to sneak veggies into things, added some peas, too. They were a huge hit! Thanks for the recipe!
[…] Lots of food in miniature form. Since I’m a sucker for bite-sized cuteness, she had me at Mac, Chicken and Cheese Bites. The site is well organized and easy to navigate. Love that she broke recipes down into age and […]
I made these last night and my kids loved them! They helped me stir the cheese and milk and mix them with the noodles. They waited (kind of) patiently while the “cupcakes” baked and, when they came out of the oven, my 5 year old declared them “the best dinner ever!” Thank you for yet another healthy family dinner hit!
I was so happy when I came onto the website today and found this recipe! I too have a toddler that is in love with Mac & Cheese and I can’t come up with enough ways to satisfy his appetite. I made these today, using tri-color whole wheat Alphabet pasta and organic chicken. Alexander could not wait for them to be baked so I had to give him one before they went into the oven! He loved them…and this is a recipe I am recommending to all of my friends with young children.
I always look forward to the new recipes you post and can’t wait to try them out.
Thank you,
Jacqueline & Alex
They freeze well, I would take them out and put them in the oven or you can put them in the microwave, just let them thaw out.
Do these freeze well? I have a little boy who will love them, but it is just the two of us, so we will certainly have leftovers! If they do, how do you recommend reheating?
Thanks!
My dd wrote in that last comment for me:) We are trying this recipe today!
I Love this resipe!!!
I made this last night. It was easy, yummy, healthy and the best part, Rocco loved it. I love this site. Thanks for all the work you put into it.
Have you ever tried this recipe with the veggie chicken strips? It looks delicious tho even without the chicken!
I can not wait to try these! (with whole grain pasta though).
Oh wow, my daughter is a little cheese hound — she’ll love these!