Fried Chicken and Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese

a.k.a. gluttony in a bowl with the addition of broccoli to make you feel not so bad. This meal is the result of combining thinking outside the box (creativity/ingenuity) with using what’s inside the box (hello refrigerator). This way of thinking and cooking can sometimes lead to very delicious occurrences.

Like any other normal human being, I sometimes buy a family-sized order of fried chicken to take home and eat off of for a couple of days (that is normal, right?). However, by the time I get to the last couple of pieces then I’m usually chickened out and in need of something different to fill my ever-hungry belly. I’ve written before about the great vessel macaroni and cheese can be for adding other ingredients and this is yet another great example. Enter broccoli and leftover drumsticks. And if adding fried chicken to macaroni and cheese wasn’t enough calories for your system then just you wait! I (un)fortunately was also out of milk and was forced to use heavy cream instead. (Woe is me…)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter (plus more for cooking the broccoli)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 quart of heavy cream
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 2 cups (or so) of shredded cheddar cheese (plus extra for top)
• 2 drumsticks of fried chicken picked off the bone and chopped
• 2 heads of broccoli
• 2 cups (or so) of uncooked macaroni
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Procedure:

1. Cut the broccoli into florets and chop the stems. Add to a large skillet with enough water to come halfway up the broccoli along with salt, pepper, and a couple tablespoons of butter. Put on a medium/medium-high flame, cover, and cook until tender. Drain.
2. Cook the pasta per instructions in a large pot of salted water and drain.
3. Melt the 2 tbsp butter in a sauce pan and add the flour. Whisk together and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the heavy cream and continue to cook until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir in the cheddar cheese. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Combine the broccoli, noodles, chicken, and cheese sauce and pour into your baking dish. Top with a combination of breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese. Bake in a 400˚F oven until bubbly and golden brown (approximately 15-20 minutes).
5. Set your alarm for the next morning to go for a run and burn off some of those extra calories gained from this meal.