Chicken & Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese recipe is a completely irresistible homemade classic and family favorite. A few key ingredients and a little roasting makes this a tempting way to eat your veggies.

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I have a question for you.

What is your all-time favorite comfort food?

You know, the one you go to when life hands you a really crappy day.

For me it has always been ooey gooey creamy mac and cheese.

The challenge though, for longest time was I couldn’t get the ooey gooey part just right on my homemade version.

I wanted that same ooey gooeyness as the big name brand you can buy at the store but with cleaner ingredients and veggies. Have to have the veggies.

Hence, after many attempts I finally perfected it with this Chicken & Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese.

My husband, who likes to give me a very hard time about putting stuff inside of stuff, fell in love with the veggies and when our resident little one devoured it, I knew I had a winner.

Not only is this an easy homemade recipe, I think it is safe to say it is one of the best versions of mac and cheese I have had. Even better than Paula Deen’s mac and cheese!

Can Mac & Cheese be Healthy?

The term healthy, when talking about food is highly subjective and controversial. I personally feel that making the roux sauce with grass-fed, organic butter and cheese is an extremely healthy way to go. Not light in calories, but definitely providing healthy omega-3 fats that American tend to run low on. If you want to level up in the healthy department then try using Quinoa Noodles or Chickpea Noodles. Just note that if using either of these noodles you will have to adjust the amounts accordingly. (affiliate)

Tips about Chicken & Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese:

I love saving as much money on organic products as possible, so I often purchase my basic organic noodles from Costco. Their packages of gemelli pasta run in 17.6 oz bags for and incredible price. My next favorite is the 16 oz bag of Bionature Organic Pasta, which Amazon has for a reasonable price. Both sizes of pasta work beautifully with this Chicken & Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese recipe. (affiliate)
Let’s be completely honest, organic grass-fed cheese can be expensive but such a healthy alternative to regular cheese. I try hard to be as budget conscious as possible when buying my cheese but sometimes it is challenging. When I can’t find the cheese I want at a reasonable price I lean towards Irish grass-fed block cheese and use my food processor to grate it. (affiliate)
Don’t skip the smoked paprika, mustard powder, onion powder and garlic powder. These are the secret ingredients that really round out the flavor of this Chicken & Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese recipe making it even more irresistible. (affiliate)
This is predominately a stovetop meal with the exception of roasting the veggies. You will need a stockpot to boil the noodles, a larger pan to make the cheese sauce and a cookie sheet to roast the veggies. I absolutely adore stainless steel and this set of pans because it meets so many of a chef’s needs. (affiliate)

Chicken & Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese

A homemade classic with a twist.

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Macaroni and Cheese with Vegetables, Vegetable Macaroni

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: servings

Calories: 731kcal

Author: Heather

Ingredients

Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1 1/4 lbs
2 tbsp oil for frying chicken

Vegetables

3-4 cups broccoli florets *about 2 medium heads
3-4 cups cauliflower florets *about 2 lb head
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Macaroni

16-17 oz bag favorite pasta
3 tbsp salt for water

Sauce

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp back pepper
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
5 cups cheese 6- 6 1/2 cups for extra cheesy

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. In a small bowl mix together oil, salt and spices for veggies. Pour over broccoli and cauliflower florets and toss until coated. Spread florets evenly on cookie sheet and bake for 30 mins.
Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Heat a large pan over medium/high heat. Add oil for chicken. Sauté chicken pieces until browned and caramelized, about 7-8 mins. Remove from pan and set chicken aside.
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and cook noodles according to directions on package.
While pasta is cooking place the same pan that chicken was fried in over medium high heat. Add butter and melt. Add flour and whisk until fully incorporated and roux mixture is bubbling. Continue cooking for another minute and then add broth. Continue the process of whisking until incorporated and bubbly (about 30 secs- 1 min). Whisk in salt, spices and milk, bring to a simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted. Turn off heat and add chicken, veggies and pasta. Stir well and enjoy!