Ingredients:
3 cups Dried Macaroni
1-2 cups Cooked Cubed Chicken
1 Head of Broccoli (lightly steamed)
1 whole Egg Beaten
¼ cup (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter, plus 2 Tablespoons
¼ cup All-purpose Flour
2-1/2 cups Whole Milk
2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
½ teaspoon Paprika
4 cups Cheese, Grated (I use a mixture of sharp cheddar, white american and parmesan)
½ teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoon Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
½ teaspoon Ground White Pepper
½ cup bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
½ cup Heavy Cream
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook macaroni al dente – about 3-4 minutes less than it says. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain the macaroni and rinse with cold water so that it doesn’t continue to cook.
3. In a small bowl, beat egg.
4. In a large pot, melt ½ stick of butter and slowly add the flour whisking continuously over medium-low heat. The mixture should foam up. This takes the flour taste out, but be careful not to let if burn.
5. Pour in milk, add dried mustard, 1 Tablespoon of the Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, paprika, and thyme, stir until smooth. Cook for five minutes until the sauce thickens. Reduce heat to low.
6. Take ¼ cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.
7. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.
8. Add in 2 cups cheese and stir to melt.
9. Add cooked cubed chicken and very lightly steamed broccoli. Make sure that the broccoli is firm – you don’t want to end up with soggy broccoli at the end.
Add salt and pepper.
10. Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
11. In a small sauce pan melt butter. Combine breadcrumbs, melted butter, and 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning in a small bowl.
12. Pour cheesy noodles into a buttered 8X11 baking dish, layering the noodles and cheese as you go. Drizzle heavy cream over creamy noodle mixture and top with extra cheese and bread crumb butter mixture.
13. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.
Serve and enjoy!
