Mac & Cheese Chicken Soup

This soup has two of the best things ever in one warm and creamy soup: Mac & Cheese Chicken Soup. If you want a from-scratch (no cream of chicken soup here!), easy and delicious meal that's got everything you need in one pot, try this recipe tonight!

My youngest son Asher could pretty much live off of mac & cheese. He would seriously eat it on a daily basis if I allowed him. And he's not a snob about it. He'll eat boxed mac & cheese, microwave mac & cheese, or homemade mac & cheese.

And corn. He also loves corn. This Corn & Mac recipe is one of his absolute FAVES.

So when I can find a way to combine macaroni into any other meal, it's a win at my house. That means he may actually eat meat or a vegetable with his pasta addiction.

That's where this from-scratch Mac & Cheese Chicken Soup comes into play - it's a perfect compromise for my mac & cheese loving kiddo and this Mommy who insists he gets other things into his belly, like protein and veggies.

Ingredients:

So, here's what you need to make this delicious creamy soup:

• 1 ½ cups macaroni noodles
• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
• Salt & pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ⅓ cup flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

And here are the preparation instructions...

First, boil the pasta according to the package directions. Then drain & set aside.

Next, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pot or dutch oven. Then place the chicken in the pot and add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook until done, remove from skillet, and set aside.

Add remaining butter in the same skillet and cook onion and red bell pepper until tender and transparent.

Then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

Next, stir in the broth, milk, and mustard and simmer until thickened.

Note: you can certainly use lower fat milk if you want to reduce the fat and calories - but whole milk makes it creamiest.

Stir in broccoli and chicken until broccoli is cooked, about 3 or 4 minutes.

Remove from heat, let stand 1 minute then stir in cooked pasta and cheese until smooth.

Salt and pepper to taste, serve, and enjoy a big spoonful of this on a cold night! Add fresh bread and you'll have a perfectly balanced meal.

Note: this soup is also great the next day! My husband almost always takes leftovers for lunch and this soup is probably better after the flavors meld together more overnight.

Mac & Cheese Chicken Soup Substitutions:

Macaroni Noodles. We are pasta addicts and I always have several shapes of pasta in my pantry. Most any small noodles would work here. Especially those shapes that would hold the sauce... shells, penne, rigatoni, or rotini.

Chicken. We usually use chicken breasts, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs would also work in this recipe. Use whichever you prefer.

Veggies. I don't recommend skipping the onion and peppers, but you green or yellow peppers would work as well as red. You could also saute in some diced-up celery stalks (we don't like celery). And we absolutely love broccoli, but you could also use carrots and/or cauliflower in this soup. You can prep ahead for this recipe by using pre-chopped frozen veggies.

Milk. As mentioned above, I recommend whole milk for the creamiest outcome, but 1%, 2% or skim milk would also work.

Cheese. I usually use medium or sharp cheddar cheese for this recipe but milk cheddar would be great too. You could even mix it up and sprinkle it with parmesan cheese or some other shredded variety if you like. My biggest recommendation here is to shred it yourself. The pre-shredded cheeses are usually coated with something to keep it from sticking together and it causes it to not melt as easily.

More Soup Recipes...

• Mac & Cheese Chicken Soup
• The Best Squash Soup Recipe
• Easy Taco Soup
• Kitchen Sink Minestrone Soup
• 25 Amazing Soup Recipes You'll Love!
• Instant Pot Black Bean Soup

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