Mac, Chicken & Cheese Bites
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 & cheese.
I’ve been having a blast coming up with fun pasta and cheese recipes and these Mac, Chicken & 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 & Cheese Bites (Makes 20 Mini Bites)
1/2 Lb. Macaroni
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Cup Milk
1 Cup White Cheddar
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Cooked Chicken, diced
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. 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).
3. Drain the pasta and set aside.
4. In a small heavy bottomed saucepan melt 2 Tbsp of the butter.
5. Whisk in the flour and salt and cook for 2 minutes.
6. 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 .
7. Add the white cheddar and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
8. Pour the cheese sauce and chicken over the pasta and stir to combine.
9. In a bowl, combine the 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
10. Grease mini muffin cups.
11. 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.
12. 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.
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Oh wow, my daughter is a little cheese hound — she’ll love these!
I can not wait to try these! (with whole grain pasta though).
creative idea i’d like to try it
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.
I Love this resipe!!!
My dd wrote in that last comment for me:) We are trying this recipe today!
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!
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.
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
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!
[...] 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 [...]
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!
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!
ME too!! Let me know how they turn out!
Well, I made them today but didn’t have the cauliflower on hand so I just followed your recipe. I’ll let you know when I do make them with veggie puree.
I made these last night to serve to the daycare kiddos today (super picky, super bad eater!!). I love the idea,but something didn’t quite work out for me- they really didn’t stay in “muffin” form….should I make sure they have more sauce, dice the chicken smaller?? Any ideas? The kids snubbed them, which I expected, but I want to offer them again if I can get them truly hand held…
AMAZING!!! However – I baked them in a mini-muffin tin and filled them to the top. I tried a batch in the reg muffin tin filling them 1/4 full.
RESULT –> I preferred the ones cooked in the mini-muffin pan. They turned out crispier and held together better.
Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Good to know. Thanks
i made these today. i love trying out your recipes. unfortunately these turned out kind of greasy for me. i wonder where i went wrong… my toddler still loved them though!
Did you grease the tins? It would have been because of that.
I’ve made Mac & Cheese Muffins before, but they turned out dry. Is the Mac & Cheese as creamy as just made?
All 3 of my kids loved them- which is a shocker! I am waiting to hear how they did as leftovers in school lunches. My 2 year old actually ate them at school and that is all I need to do it again! I am wondering if I wanted to use a regular muffin pan for my bigger kids (and less time consuming) would I just let it go longer to get them thoroughly cooked and develop that crust?
Awesome! My husband took the leftovers for lunch today. I tried the mac and cheese before putting them in the muffin tins and it was creamy and delicious. I might try cooking it in one big casserole dish next time.
These were wonderful, I made them in a regular muffin time and they turned out great. I took three out immediately because I was hungry and too impatient and they stayed together pretty well, a little crack but pretty good. I let the others cool to put into the freezer and they stayed together perfectly. I did leave out the chicken though.
I made a batch of these tonight to freeze and put in my son’s lunches over the next few weeks. I only added 1/2 cup of milk and I mixed in 1 cup butternut squash puree right before I added the cheeses. I also subbed whole wheat pasta, flour and breadcrumbs. They turned out great, with just a hint of sweet from the squash, but I know he’ll love them. Thanks for the recipe!
Is your son able to heat these up at school or does he just eat them cold?
Hi,
My toddler LOVES mac and cheese…would eat it every day if I let him! I am so excited to try these, but don’t have any Parmesan Cheese on hand. Can I use any other type of cheese?
[...] Mac, Chicken & Cheese Bites [...]
Amazingly cheesy n tasty! Only it’s better to substitute wholewheat pasta for normal macaroni and wheat in place of flour, from health point of view.
I made these the other night and they were a HIT!!! My 6 and 4 y.o. daughters LOVED them, as well as the hubby! I have a gas oven and typically I have to cook things 5 mins. (give or take) less than what the original recipe calls for. However, these NEED more than 15 mins. in the oven to get that good crisp on the outside. I had one batch in for 15 mins. and they fell apart upon scooping them out. (And yes, I did wait until they had cooled a bit.)
Just made these…shredded the chicken vs cubing it, they held together perfectly after 20 min in oven & VERY picky 5 yr old didn’t fuss about the chicken! Yea!
I made these for my girls (who LOVE mac n cheese with a passion!) and they LOVED them! I swapped out white cheddar for 2% milk sharp cheddar (the hubby hates white cheddar) and they were fab! You definitely have to cook these *just* long enough. I made two batches, and the 1st batch fell apart upon scooping them out b/c I had under-cooked them. The 2nd batch I let cook a couple minutes more and they held together.
I made these and my daughter just LOVED them…me too!! Instead of breadcrumbs, i sprinkled wheat germ on top for extra nutrition! Just a crispy as breadcrumbs!
chicken…
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Could I leave out the chicken, or substitute a veggie for the chicken?
You can do either! You could leave out the chicken or substitute a soft veggie. You want something that will be about the same consistency as the cooked chicken. Maybe steamed carrots or broccoli? Let me know how it works!
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