4 to 6 servings
YouTube instructional video is at the bottom
What you’ll need
Elbow macaroni
1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
Shredded parmesan cheese
Two 8 ounce packages of extra sharp cheddar cheese
Evaporated milk
Salted butter
All-purpose flour
Large eggs
Vegetable or canola oil
Seasonings
Salt
Black pepper
Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
Chef Paul’s poultry magic
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Tools you’ll need
4 Qt pot or deep fryer with thermometer
Cooling rack
Mesh straining spoon
10- inch round cast iron skillet or casserole dish
Preparation of ingredients
Chicken
Step 1- Add chicken pieces into strainer and rinse with cold water. From there, pat the chicken pieces dry with napkins. Cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces and if your chicken has any type of excessive fat, trim it off.
Step 2- Add chicken pieces into a small bowl. From there add, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon Chef Paul’s poultry magic, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Coat the seasonings onto the chicken pieces with your hands. Cover bowl with lid and place into fridge for 1 to 2 hours.
Seasoned egg batter
Step 3- Add 2 large eggs (Room temp), 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1/8 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder into a small bowl. Stir with whisk until combined and set aside.
Seasoned all-purpose flour batter
Step 4- Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 or 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1/2 or 1 teaspoon Chef Paul’s poultry magic, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder into a small bowl (Lid included). Stir all ingredients together until combined and set aside.
Cheese
Step 5- Shredd 12 ounces (1 block plus half of the second block) of extra sharp cheddar cheese. Place into fridge until ready to be cooked.
Elbow macaroni
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 6- Add 2 quarts water and 2 to 3 teaspoons salt into a medium-sized pot. Let come to a simmer. Add 8 ounces (1/2 pound) elbow macaroni and stir. Let simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the elbow macaroni is done, add it into a strainer and let cool until it’s ready to be added into the cheese sauce.
Frying the chicken pieces
4-quart pot- Preheat fire to medium heat. Deep fryer- Preheat to 350 or 375 degrees.
Step 7- Add 48 Fl ounces of canola oil into medium-sized 4qt pot. If you are using a deep fryer, add oil according to instructions on your deep fryer on how much oil to add. Let the oil get hot until it reaches a temperature of 350 or 375 degrees.
Step 8- Add chicken pieces into seasoned egg mixture. Coat the chicken pieces with the egg mixture using your hands. From there, add chicken pieces into seasoned all-purpose flour batter. Cover bowl with the flour in it with a lid and shake small bowl to coat the chicken pieces with the seasoned all-purpose flour batter. Remove the chicken pieces from the seasoned all-purpose flour batter and shake with your hands to remove the excess.
Step 9- Add chicken pieces into hot oil. Let fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Once the frying time is up, remove the chicken pieces from the hot oil using a mesh straining spoon. Wait for a few seconds to let the oil drain and add the chicken pieces onto a cooling rack with a pan underneath it. Let cool until it’s ready to be added on top of the macaroni and cheese mixture.
Macaroni and cheese mixture
Preheat fire to medium-low heat.
Step 10- Add 4 tablespoons salted butter, 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk, 1 to 2 tablespoons sour cream (Room temp), 1/ 4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 or 1/4 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder into a medium-sized pot. Stir all ingredients together and let get warm for 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 11- Add 12 ounces in weight 3 1/2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, and 1/8 cup shredded parmesan cheese. Stir continuously for 6 to 8 minutes or until cheese has melted into the milk mixture. Turn fire off and add cooked elbow macaroni into cheese sauce and stir until combined.
Assembling and baking the casserole
Preheat oven to 425-degrees.
Step 12- Spread 1/2 tablespoon salted butter into cast iron skillet and casserole dish. Add macaroni and cheese mixture and spread around as evenly as possible. To make more even, shake skillet or casserole dish. Add fried chicken pieces and any crumbs left over from the fried chicken on top of the macaroni and cheese mixture. Sprinkle a small amount of chef Paul’s poultry magic on top.
Step 13- Place into a preheated 425-degree oven for 10 minutes. Once the casserole is finished baking, remove from oven. Let cool for 45 minutes to an hour before serving.
YouTube instructional video
