Description
A delicious home-made version of Applebee’s Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese, featuring creamy pasta, tender chicken, and a sweet and spicy glaze.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 16 oz box spiral noodles
- 1 25 oz. bag breaded chicken strips
- 5 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Basil
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 3 Tbs low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbs vinegar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 stick butter
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (microbial-rennet)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, freshly shredded
- 3/4 cup colby jack cheese, freshly shredded
- 2–3 cloves minced garlic
- Chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Prepare Chicken: Bake or deep fry chicken strips according to package directions, set aside.
- Cook Pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Make Honey Pepper Sauce: Mix honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, lemon juice, vinegar, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil, then simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool slightly to thicken.
- Prepare Cheese Sauce: Melt butter and cream together in a large pan.
- Combine Cheeses: Add parmesan, mozzarella, and colby jack cheeses one at a time, stirring after each addition, then add garlic and stir until melted.
- Season: Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix Pasta: Add cooked pasta to the cheese sauce and stir to combine, then stir in the crumbled turkey bacon.
- Coat Chicken: Dip each chicken strip into the honey pepper sauce until coated and set aside.
- Assemble: Dish up the pasta and top with coated chicken strips and a sprinkle of fresh basil and additional turkey bacon if desired.
Notes
The honey pepper sauce will thicken as it cools; do not wait for it to thicken completely while simmering.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop and Oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 1037 kcal
- Sugar: 67 g
- Sodium: 1529 mg
- Fat: 72 g
- Saturated Fat: 41 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 31 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 74 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 243 mg
Keywords: copycat, applebee's, honey pepper chicken, mac and cheese, main course