Chicken & Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Homemade mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food and it happens to be extremely budget-friendly.

Adding Chicken and broccoli to your mac and cheese adds protein and a healthy dose of nutrients to the dish.  You can even lighten it up a bit by using cottage cheese rather than heavy cream or full-fat milk and you’ll get a creamy consistency without adding a ton of calories.

My kids ask for mac and cheese at least twice a week and rather than serving the boxed variety, I’ve found this easy homemade recipe to be a hit for my family and we always have leftovers for lunches.  My six-year-old hates sandwiches and would rather have “real food” for lunch every day, so this is good for at least 2 or 3 lunches during the week at school.  I simply heat it and put in a thermos for her lunch.

You can use fresh broccoli or frozen.  I’ve tried both and both are fine.  Either way, just steam the broccoli until it turns bright green,  you don’t want to overcook it because then it will become mushy.

Take advantage of the sales on chicken, broccoli and cheese at Safeway to make Chicken & Broccoli Mac and Cheese for dinner this week.

Check out additional recipe ideas for sale items at Safeway in our From the Kitchen Page here.

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Chicken & Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Homemade mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food.  Pair with protein packed chicken and nutrition broccoli and you've got a one pot meal that everyone will love.

Course Main Course

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked whole grain elbow macaroni
• 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup plus 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 1 cup Extra Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• Optional
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Instructions

1. 1. In a blender or food processor puree cottage cheese, milk and cheddar cheese

2. 2. In a 5 quart sauce pan, cook macaroni to package directions, adding broccoli florets during the last 1-2 minutes of cooking. Drain macaroni and broccoli. Set aside.

3. 3. Return pan to stove. Add cottage cheese mixture to pan and over medium-low heat stir mixture constantly until smooth

4. 4. Add chicken, macaroni, broccoli, salt and pepper and heat through. Serve immediately.

5. 5. If desired, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and paprika before serving.

SuperSafeway is a blog devoted to helping you find the best deals at Safeway in the Denver division.  Every week we find and share the best advertised and unadvertised deals at Safeway with and without coupons.  We also share recipes and weekly meal planning ideas based on sales to maximize your savings.  For more low prices, check out Super Safeway’s weekly ad coupon matchup page.  Stay updated on the best deals by following Super Safeway on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, or Pinterest and subscribe to our newsletter.

* Please note – Savings information is based on Colorado pricing and the Safeway Coupon Policy for the Denver Division which includes Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Wyoming and South Dakota. Your market may vary. *