Copycat Applebee’s Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese
Delicious Copycat Applebee’s Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese with a sweet and spicy honey pepper sauce.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- large pan
- Oven or fryer
Ingredients
Pasta and Chicken
- 16 oz spiral noodles
- 25 oz breaded chicken strips
- 5 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- Salt
- Pepper
- Basil Chopped fresh
Honey Pepper Sauce
- ¾ cup honey
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 3 Tbs low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup pineapple juice
- 1 lemon Juice of
- 1 Tbs vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Cheese Sauce
- 1 stick butter
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese freshly shredded
- ¾ cup colby jack cheese freshly shredded
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
Cooking Instructions
- Bake or deep fry chicken strips according to package directions, set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Mix all Honey Pepper sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat to cool slightly and thicken.
- Melt butter and cream together in a large pan.
- Once melted, add in cheeses one at a time, stirring after each addition, then add garlic and stir until incorporated and everything is melted.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add pasta to pan with sauce and stir to combine, adding bacon and stirring until incorporated.
- Dip each chicken strip into the honey pepper sauce until coated and set aside.
- When ready to serve, dish up pasta and top with chicken strips, sprinkle with basil and additional bacon if desired.
Notes
Feel free to adjust the sauce spicy by adding more or less cayenne pepper as per your taste.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 1037kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 26gFat: 72gSaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 243mgSodium: 1529mgPotassium: 353mgSugar: 67gVitamin A: 2330IUVitamin C: 2.5mgCalcium: 554mgIron: 1.4mg
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