Easy Chicken Mac and Cheese

1 . Stage

Cook the pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, or according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and keep the pasta from sticking together. Set aside.

2 . Stage

Cook the onions and garlic: In a large pot over medium heat, add butter. Once the butter is melted, add chopped onions and cook for a few minutes until they turn translucent. Then add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir the flour into the onion and garlic mixture and cook for a minute.

3 . Stage

Stir in the milk, mustard and cheese: Slowly add the milk while stirring. The flour and onion mixture will thicken as you add the milk. Once all the milk is added, stir in the grated cheese and mustard. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheese has melted.

4 . Stage

Stir the chicken and pasta into the sauce: Once the cheese is melted, stir in the chicken and cooked pasta. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

5 . Stage

Cook the breadcrumbs: Whenever you have a few spare moments while assembling this pasta (like, while cooking the onions or while waiting for the cheese to melt), cook the breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs until well combined. Continue to stir over low heat until the breadcrumbs are browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Breadcrumbs can also be toasted ahead of time and stored in an airtight container.

6 . Stage

Serve: Ladle the cheesy chicken macaroni right out of the pot when it’s super creamy, and top it with crispy breadcrumbs.