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    $5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

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    King Ranch Chicken Mac & Cheese

    January 30, 2017 by Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom 3 Comments

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    king ranch mac and cheese

    Pardon me while I drown myself in this bowl of cheesy delicious. It’s macaroni and cheese, doctored up with all the delicious flavors from the traditional King Ranch Chicken.

    I’ve made King Ranch Chicken Enchiladas…and we are adding this Mac n Cheese to our “King Ranch list.”

    You can use any small shell pasta for this – I used rotini because that’s what I had in my pantry/stockpile. I adore the smokiness of the cumin in this and it plays really nicely with all the cheesy flavors!

    Just be warned…you will want to drown yourself in the bowl too. 😉

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    5 from 1 vote

    King Ranch Chicken Mac & Cheese

    If you love King Ranch Chicken, you will love this mac and cheese version!
    Prep Time15 minutes
    Cook Time15 minutes
    Servings - 4 servings

    Ingredients 

    • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken)
    • 8 oz small shell pasta
    • 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
    • 1 cup sour cream
    • 1 Tbsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
    • Salad, as side dish

    Instructions

    • Cook and shred the chicken, if necessary.
    • Cook the pasta as directed. Drain.
    • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the diced tomatoes and green chilies (with the juices), sour cream, ground cumin, chili powder and salt. Stir until smooth, then stir in the shredded cheddar cheese.
    • Pour the warm, drained pasta noodles into the bowl with the cheesy mixture and toss until cheese melts into the pasta. If need be, return the pasta and sauce to saucepan to heat through.
    • Stir in the shredded chicken.
    • Serve King Ranch Mac n Cheese with side salad.
    • To Freeze: Place the prepared pasta and chicken into disposable foil baking tray and cover with foil. Thaw and reheat at 350 for 30 minutes.

    king ranch chicken mac & cheese

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    Filed Under: Budget Friendly Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Pantry Staple Recipe Ideas, Pasta Recipes

    Comments

    1. Kylie says

      February 4, 2019 at 5:38 pm

      Thank you for this recipe!! I made ranch chicken in the crockpot and was looking for a Mac and Cheese recipe for it. This turned out great!!

      Reply
    2. LL says

      December 10, 2019 at 2:45 pm

      5 stars
      Very rich but damn delicious and easy af. Nothing more to say. *drops mic*

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Smart Cents Mom » Blog Archive 5 Frugal Dinner Ideas Under 10 Dollars - Smart Cents Mom says:
      March 5, 2017 at 1:22 pm

      […] King Ranch Chicken Macaroni Cheese by 5 Dollar Dinners […]

      Reply

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    I’m Erin Chase…

    Also known as the
    $5 Dinner Mom.

    I have a little problem. I cannot make a meal that costs more than $5.
    It’s a fun challenge,
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    Want to join me?

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