Description
🌮 This One Pan Chicken Taco Mac is a quick, flavorful meal combining seasoned chicken, pasta, and cheese in about 30 minutes.
🧀 The creamy, cheesy sauce and bold taco spices make it a comforting one-pan dinner perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
– 1 lb chicken breast cut into cubes
– 1 tbsp oil
– 1 onion chopped
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp pepper
– 2 tsp chili powder
– 1 tsp cumin
– 1 tsp dried cilantro
– 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
– 2 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
– 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (not drained)
– 8 oz can tomato sauce
– 1 tbsp minced garlic
– 2 cups shredded cheese blend
– 1/2 cup milk
– Fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
1-First, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, chicken cubes, and chopped onion. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and dried cilantro. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is mostly cooked through this takes about 5-7 minutes and fills your kitchen with amazing aromas.
2-Next, stir in the minced garlic, uncooked elbow macaroni, chicken broth, the undrained can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, and tomato sauce. Mix everything well to combine the flavors.
3-Bring the mixture to a bubble, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and let it cook for around 12 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Remember to stir once midway to keep it even.
4-Once done, take the skillet off the heat. Add the shredded cheese blend and milk, stirring until the cheese melts and creates a creamy sauce. This step is where the magic happens!
5-Finally, serve it up right away, topped with fresh cilantro if you like. It’s ready in about 30 minutes total, with 10 minutes prep and 20 minutes cooking.
Notes
🍗 Substitute the chicken breast cubes with ground turkey or ground chicken if preferred.
🍅 Do not drain the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies; its liquid is needed for cooking the pasta and flavor.
🧀 Shredding cheese from a block rather than using pre-shredded cheese improves its melting texture.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: One-pan stovetop cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
Keywords: One Pan, Chicken, Taco, Mac