Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese is a ONE POT dinner made on the stove top, in less than 30 minutes! No extra pots or pans to wash up, and minimal work with simple ingredients. It will be hard to go back to regular Mac and Cheese after this!
Mac And Cheese
Since publishing this Garlic Parmesan Mac And Cheese last year, most readers have been asking me to create another similar recipe, but with MORE stuff added. This is the direction my brain went in because it’s apparent how much you all love Tuscan. NOT traditional Tuscan cuisine — please don’t yell at me — but Tuscan from Olive Garden.
If you’ve been following me for a while now, you also know how much I twist things:Â Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp, Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Salmon. See where I’m going here?
One Pot Pasta
Although this Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese is made in one pot, the pasta is perfectly coated in a silky smooth sauce filled to the brim with as much cheese as you want! I did consider boiling the pasta first, removing it, then starting on the sauce. But I also know how much my readers love easy recipes that you can just throw together in one pot or on a sheet pan.
Cheese
For this Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese I used Parmesan, mozzarella and a touch of cheddar, but you can use whatever cheese you feel will taste good with this.
Optional Add Ins
You can add sliced mushrooms, pork instead of chicken, chicken thighs OR breasts, zucchini if you wish, diced eggplant, fire roasted peppers instead of sun dried tomatoes…the choices are endless!
How To Make Mac And Cheese
Choose a large pan to fit everything in and avoid unnecessary spillage (anything above 30-cm or 12-inches, or over 6-quart is perfect).
Sear skinless and boneless chicken thighs OR breasts. We prefer thighs in this, but breasts are just as good if you don’t like dark meat.
Use dry pasta… there’s no need to pre-boil anything.
I use white wine in this as I LOVE the flavour it adds, but you can add chicken broth instead!
Mac and Cheese Sauce
- For the sake of keeping this Mac n Cheese as close to the traditional Mac N Cheese we all love, I use butter as the base. You CAN use oil if you like!
- Retain 2 tablespoons of the oil that the sun dried tomatoes come in. You can use more or less if you like, but I LOVE the flavour in that oil!
- I choose to use flour in the sauce to also keep the Mac n cheese tradition alive and well. It does not necessarily create a roux, but it’s similar in taste. If you find lumps from the flour after you first add it in, DON’T WORRY. They do eventually cook through when you add the liquids in and they begin to heat up.
- When you add your liquids, stir the flour through really well. You’ll see it begin to thicken with the heat.
- Regularly stir the pasta in the sauce mixture so it doesn’t end up in one big lump of a mess. Stir it every minute or so and watch the magic unfold!
- For a deeper cream flavour, add in ½ cup light cream or heavy cream if you prefer right before adding in the spinach!
As soon as the pasta is al dente (not too soft), take it off the heat! Remember, it will continue to cook in the hot sauce, and you don’t want to end up with mushy pasta.
Have fun with the cheese you choose, or follow the recipe and use the combination we used. Remember to taste test and adjust salt and pepper to your tastes (If needed)!
I didn’t add a crumb topping to this, but you can if you wish! Just make sure you start in an oven-proof dish, that way you don’t need to transfer anything. Use the crumb from this  garlic parmesan mac and cheese recipe.
Silky, creamy, super cheesy….this Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese will become your new favourite!
More Pasta Recipes!
One-Pot Creamy Mushroom Chicken Pasta (Lightened Up)
Creamy Garlic Parmesan Mac And Cheese
Skinny One Pot Chicken Bacon Fettuccine Alfredo
 WATCH US MAKE Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese (One Pot, Stove Top) RIGHT HERE
Tuscan Chicken Mac And Cheese (ONE POT, STOVE TOP)
Ingredients
- 2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts or 4 boneless and skinless chicken thigh fillets, pounded to 1-inch thickness
- 1 pinch salt to season
- 1 pinch pepper to season
- ½ teaspoon paprika sweet or smokey
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon oil divided, use olive or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion small, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic finely diced
- â…“ cup white wine optional - use chicken broth instead if you wish
- 9 oz sun dried tomato strips in oil jarred, reserve 2 tablespoons of oil and drain the rest
- 3 tablespoons flour level tablespoons
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups milk light cream, or half and half, divided
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
- 10 ounces elbow macaroni uncooked
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup grated cheese cheddar or Gruyere
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, dried parsley and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Heat the remaining oil in a large (30cm or 12-inch) pot or pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden brown, cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Transfer chicken to a warm plate, tent with foil and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the butter and fry the onion and garlic until the onion becomes transparent, stirring occasionally (about 2 minutes). Pour in the white wine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, or until beginning to reduce down.
- Add the sun dried tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the sun dried tomato oil from the jar and cook for 1-2 minutes to release as much flavour as possible.
- Stir the flour into the pot and allow to cook for a further minute. Then, add the broth, 2 ½ cups of milks (or cream/half and half), herbs, salt and pepper, and bring to a very low simmer (lower the heat if you need to).
- Add the dry macaroni and stir occasionally as it comes to a simmer. Reduce heat down to medium low and stir regularly while it cooks (for about 9 - 10 minutes), or until the sauce thickens and the macaroni is just cooked (al dente: tender but still firm). Add the spinach and stir through until wilted.
- Take the pot off the stove and stir all of the cheese in quickly. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce it too thick, add the remaining ½ cup milk (or cream) in ¼ cup increments, until reaching desired thickness. Keep in mind the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Slice the chicken into strips and stir through the pasta (pour in any juices left from the chicken). Sprinkle with parsley, and stir through. Serve immediately!
Angela Nevling says
Can you substitute frozen spinach¿??
Tom Mozgala says
Yes, you can substitute frozen spinach for fresh spinach in your Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe. Here are a few tips for using frozen spinach:
Quantity: Use about 1 cup of frozen spinach, as it tends to be more compact than fresh. Generally, 1 cup of fresh spinach wilts down to about 1/3 to 1/2 cup when cooked.
Thaw and Drain: Before adding it to the dish, thaw the frozen spinach and drain any excess water. You can do this by placing it in a strainer and pressing it to remove moisture, or by microwaving it in a bowl and then draining.
Add Later: Since frozen spinach is already cooked, add it toward the end of the cooking process, just as you would with the fresh spinach. Stir it in and heat it through until warmed.
Following these adjustments will allow you to substitute frozen spinach effectively while maintaining the flavor and texture of your dish. Enjoy your cooking!
Trish says
Great recipe family loved it and very flavorful
Sara says
This was AMAZING! Best mac and cheese I ever made, according to my husband haha.
Taylor says
Great recipe but I messed it up a bit. My macaroni was used by someone else so I found all I had was spaghetti or penne. I went with penne and should’ve boiled it separately. It ended up taking forever to cook and my sauce got sooo thick so I kept adding milk or half and half. Still ended up very good but very rich. I also used half the amount of tomatoes and threw in some mushrooms. Very yummy, really great recipe!
Renee says
This is so delicious!! Outstanding flavors. I see the nutrition information but it doesn’t say how much a serving is, does anyone happen to know?
Georgia Knowles says
Hi Renee, for this recipe the nutrition is calculated for 1 of 6 serves of the overall dish. Hope this helps!
Joe says
Really good recipe. Very flavorful, very filling. The wife and I prepared it for Valentine’s Day, loved it. Only note for me was that it took a l good bit longer than 30 minutes.
Johanna says
Made this last night for my husband and step son. My step son HATES fish and says it hurts his tstomach. Told me he could eat salmon though so I tried this recipe. My husband and step son CLEARED their plate. I should’ve made more than I did!! Definitely keeping this recipe in rotation.
Jessica says
Thee best Max and cheese in the world!
I used half heavy cream and half whole milk.
I used Oregano, basil and thyme for Italian seasoning.
I used all chicken broth.
I satueed onions five minutes then garlic till fragrant. White pepper. If I didn’t have enough parmesan I added more mozza. Fresh basil in stead of fresh parsley.
Dawna says
This was the BOMB!! Thank YOU!