50 5269

Mac, Chicken & Cheese Bites

January 21, 2010

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?

Like this post Comment on this post

Mac, Chicken & Cheese Bites  (Makes 20 Mini Bites)

  • Prep Time:15 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes,
  • Total Time: 30 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon 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

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. 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. 3. Drain the pasta and set aside.
  4. 4. In a small heavy bottomed saucepan melt 2 Tbsp of the butter.
  5. 5. Whisk in the flour and salt and cook for 2 minutes.
  6. 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. 7. Add the white cheddar and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
  8. 8. Pour the cheese sauce and chicken over the pasta and stir to combine.
  9. 9. In a bowl, combine the 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
  10. 10. Grease mini muffin cups.
  11. 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. 12. Cool in muffin cups, remove and serve.
  13. *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.
+ Recipe Box + Print 50

Related Recipes

Comments






1 2

  1. keaton21us

    September 24, 2012 at 8:46 pm

    Reply

    I did most in mini muffin tins and ended up with 4 for the big muffin and I prefer the minis. They stay together better, especially coming out of the tins and the minis are great to pick up and eat. I used a teaspoon to gently take them out. My kids and I loved them!

  2. ABB

    September 10, 2012 at 8:29 am

    Reply

    Hi! I loved this idea and tried to make them yesterday but mine fell apart as I tried to get them out of the muffin cups. Any suggestions to keep that from happening again?

  3. Courtney

    August 29, 2012 at 8:16 am

    Reply

    I used this as a base recipe for our dinner last night. I used ham and spinach, added a little onion and garlic powder, and baked in a 9×9 casserole dish. It was so good. We only had enough leftovers for my daughter’s lunch today..

  4. Dale

    August 21, 2012 at 11:37 am

    Reply

    Would it hurt to take these out of the freezer, let them thaw in the fridge over night and send them for lunch the next day, with out heating them? Or would it be safer to heat them in the morning (straight from thenfreez) let them cool then put them in the lunch?

    • catherine

      August 21, 2012 at 12:16 pm

      Reply

      That would be totally fine from a food safety standpoint!

      • keaton21us

        September 24, 2012 at 6:38 pm

        Reply

        Have you ever tried to take one directly out of the freezer and let it thaw in the lunchbox that has an ice pack in it?

        • catherine

          September 24, 2012 at 7:16 pm

          I haven’t done that, but I think it would thaw by lunchtime!

      • Dale L

        August 21, 2012 at 4:15 pm

        Reply

        Thank you for replying!

  5. Leesh

    July 21, 2012 at 9:50 am

    Reply

    I had high hopes for this one. I was kinda bummed my 14 month old just wasn’t loving them. They fell apart and were really dry.

  6. wondrous crib mobiles

    February 10, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    Reply

    It’s perfect time to make some plans for the longer term and it’s time to be happy. I’ve read this submit and if I may I wish to suggest you few attention-grabbing issues or advice. Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article. I wish to learn more issues about it!

  7. Alicia

    February 1, 2012 at 10:24 am

    Reply

    Could I leave out the chicken, or substitute a veggie for the chicken?

    • catherine

      February 1, 2012 at 12:58 pm

      Reply

      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!

  8. Pingback: อาหารเสริม

  9. Pingback: 5 Homemade Travel-Friendly Foods | Cloud Surfing Kids

  10. Pingback: chicken

  11. michelle

    October 28, 2011 at 9:00 pm

    Reply

    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!

  12. Meredith

    October 12, 2011 at 12:00 am

    Reply

    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.

  13. Melissa

    September 14, 2011 at 6:38 pm

    Reply

    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!

  14. Meredith

    September 10, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    Reply

    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.)

  15. Fatima

    August 12, 2011 at 6:56 pm

    Reply

    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.

  16. Pingback: Coquitlam Mommy

  17. Donna

    February 2, 2011 at 12:23 pm

    Reply

    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?

  18. Sarah

    January 15, 2011 at 8:20 pm

    Reply

    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!

    • Lanie

      February 18, 2011 at 11:35 am

      Reply

      Is your son able to heat these up at school or does he just eat them cold?

  19. Sara

    January 4, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    Reply

    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.

  20. PattiR

    December 28, 2010 at 8:44 am

    Reply

    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.

  21. Colby

    December 9, 2010 at 5:20 pm

    Reply

    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?

  22. Pingback: Macaroni & Cheese & Chicken Cupcakes « Food They Eat

  23. Krista

    November 1, 2010 at 5:08 pm

    Reply

    I’ve made Mac & Cheese Muffins before, but they turned out dry. Is the Mac & Cheese as creamy as just made? :D

  24. beth

    September 19, 2010 at 9:04 pm

    Reply

    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!

    • catherine

      September 20, 2010 at 2:44 pm

      Reply

      Did you grease the tins? It would have been because of that.

  25. Erica

    September 6, 2010 at 6:45 pm

    Reply

    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!

    • Catherine

      September 5, 2011 at 11:41 am

      Reply

      Good to know. Thanks

1 2

Manage your shopping list and search for recipes from across the web at ZipList.com