Green Chili Chicken Mac and Cheese Muffins
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These Green Chili Chicken Mac and Cheese Muffins are perfect as an appetizer for any party, Super Bowl or not. Made in under 30 minutes or made ahead, these deliver big and who doesn’t love small, cheesy, crunchy hand held food?
Yes, this is a recipe post I did last year, but thought with party food on the rise for the big game day it needed your close attention.
I had the overwhelming desire for some comfort food. As in Mac and Cheese. As in naughty me for wanting that delicious gooey, cheesy concoction. Then the idea of green chili of some sort came into the picture and threw me off. Pork or chicken? Why not combine the Mac and Cheese idea with the green chili and make them into little bite size morsels of comfort food?
OK, so for these little gems of deliciousness you could attack it two different ways. Elevate them with homemade versions of the Mac & Cheese or go straight to the nice and easy with store bought from a box. Your choice.
I decided on making mine from scratch and bumped it up with extra sharp cheddar cheese. Ya know, because everything is better with cheddar!
Let’s keep it real simple too, and use some rotisserie chicken. With some chopped green chiles and an addition of a diced red bell pepper I was on my way!
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Whisk in milk until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses, chilies, peppers and 1 tsp Mexican oregano until smooth. Gently fold in macaroni and chopped chicken until well coated.
Of course one needs to test taste so I advise getting a spoon and dipping in for a delicious mouthful.
At this point lightly grease mini muffin cups with cooking spray and preheat your oven to 425°F.
In a small bowl mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and 1 tsp Mexican oregano. Toss to combine as you will divide half evenly inside the bottom of each muffin mold.
Sprinkle some of the breadcrumb and cheese mixture on the bottom of each muffin mold. This will do two things – soak up the grease and caramelize and get all sorts of crunchy on the bottom. A perfect base when you remove these guys later.
Using a medium cookie/ice cream scoop place pasta and chicken mixture into prepared muffin tins.
Sprinkle with remaining Panko/Parmesan topping. Bake until golden brown on top, about 14 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes and remove from muffin pans. Serve warm or allow to cool and freeze for later use.
Look at how cute and crispy on the outside, warm and cheesy on the inside these guys are looking.
That wonderful crunchy topping as well as on the bottom of each adds so much.
The light green chili bite goes so well with the mac and cheese. The sweet nibble of red bell peppers, the crunchy outside and cheesy chicken goodness on the inside made me happy. So much so I had quite a few down the hatch before I even started taking photos.
Some of the best ones I ate before getting their images down for prosperity! Alas, such tribulations are never that bad as I made 36 of these and made sure to get a lot of pics for you to salivate over.
Now go make some of these and let me know what you think!
Green Chili Chicken Mac and Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese
- 8 oz . chopped green chilies
- 2 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 8- oz . pkg. elbow macaroni cooked
- 2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
Instructions
- Lightly grease mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In a small bowl mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and 1 tsp oregano. Toss to combine and divide half evenly inside the bottom of each muffin mold.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Whisk in milk until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses, chilies, peppers and 1 tsp oregano until smooth. Gently fold in macaroni and chopped chicken until well coated.
- Using medium cookie/ice cream scoop place mixture into prepared muffin tins. Sprinkle with remaining Panko/Parmesan topping. Bake until golden brown on top, about 14 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from muffin pans. Serve warm or allow to cool and freeze for later use.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Gah! So glad you revisited these, Kevin! I’m pretty sure I remember them from last year, but I NEEDED a reminder… plus I needed to drool. 😉 LOVE LOVE LOVE these mac n’ cheese cups! The rotisserie chicken and chilis in here are perfection! Totally not waiting a couple days to the Super Bowl to stuff my face with this deliciousness. Must.Have.NOW! Pinned! Cheers, buddy!
Thanks my kinda thinking, make two batches – one for today and another for Super Bowl Game Day! Appreciate it Chey, have a great day.
Kevin, these look sooo good. I’m wondering how it would turn out with cauliflower for a low carb snack? I’m headed to my daughter’s and I know they would love these, but we’re all trying to loose weight. I also made your buffalo chicken meat balls recently and they want me to make those also.
Thanks Cathy!
I would love to hear how they come out with cauliflower, sounds incredible. As for those chicken meatballs, those are a good one! I actually will be posting them Friday. 😉
Sorry, I didn’t mean to get ahead. I found them here at the right time for a birthday party and they were well liked! I will let you know about the cauliflower mac and cheese muffins when I try that.
Oh yeah! This is the ultimate comfort food, Kevin…and I love how you turned it into bites for the Super Bowl. I will take one of these bites for each hand please. And the green chilis + chicken make this a well-rounded bite. Oh, and sharp cheddar. Geez, there are so many good things going on here that I don’t even know where to begin! #WolfpackGoodThings
I’d say, begin with two and then repeat after every 10 minutes until all are gone. Then eat your Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels for something sweet. 🙂
#WolfpackSuperBowlMunchies
If I had to choose just one comfort food as my favorite, it would have to be mac and cheese. You can never, ever go wrong with cheesy carbs!! The crispy part at the top of a baked mac and cheese casserole is always my favorite, so I think the idea of baking it in a muffin tray is pretty brilliant! More crispy parts for everyone, plus they’re now transformed into the perfect finger food. I love it.
Thanks Faith, I so agree! It’s at the top of my Comfort Food list easily, hands down. #CrispyFingerFoodForSuperBowl 🙂
Hey Kevin! These look fantastic! I love mac n’ cheese and green chiles! You have changed your look again – I like it a lot! Happy New Year my friend! 🙂
Thanks Dorothy, I make a huge batch and freeze them so I always have them on hand, too.
These mac and cheese muffins look completely irresistible! I love how you’ve turned a classic comfort food into a more balanced dish. The green chilis sound like a great addition!
Thanks so much for stopping by! As I live in San Diego, Mexican food will always have an influence in this kitchen. They’re great little nibbles as an app, or a fun lunch with a fresh salad, too.
Hey Kevin! I have a serious weakness for mac n ‘ cheese and I love green chiles! I’m thinking a bit of bacon wouldn’t hurt either!
Thanks Kevin… Just headbutted my screen trying to get a smell of these babies… The whole office is in stitched… *blush*
This is something I could eat and will def try, Ill give feedback as usual. MMMMmmmm Thanks
Flee
South Africa
Flee be careful, I’m here to share recipes and don’t want anyone hurt! That was so funny to read, I was glad I had just gulped down my coffee or would have had an accident myself. 🙂 Definitely let me know how yours turn out. Be well.
I have to make these for my 9-year old nephew. I know he’s going love ’em!
Thanks Mike! It seems anything bite size or mini I devour more of and these are perfect for kids.
These are so fun Kevin. My sons would love these, as would I. Love how you kept it pretty simple, yet they look so good!
Thanks Matt. Who doesn’t love Mac & Cheese, right? I found myself eating one, then a taking photo and repeat.