Copy Cat Panera Bread Baja Macaroni and Cheese

This creamy Copy Cat Panera Bread Baja Macaroni and Cheese is exploding with flavor! With garlic-lime seared chicken, fresh pico de gallo, and extra cheese macaroni, this dish is a hit!

Creamy Panera Mac and Cheese

This copy cat Panera Bread mac and cheese is exactly what you would expect- creamy, cheesy, flavorful, and soul-soothing. Yes, I went there. There’s nothing a bowl of hot carbs can’t fix.

This recipe is based off of Panera’s Baja Mac and Cheese. Freshly made pico de gallo (my favorite!), shredded sharp Vermont cheddar cheese, and sticky lime garlic chicken are combined to bring you layers of flavor! Seriously, one bite and you’ll be hooked!

How to make mac and cheese extra creamy

Macaroni deserves to be swimming in sharp white cheddar cheese and buttermilk. It’s the only way! Here are some tips to get the creamiest, most delicious mac and cheese!

• Use grass fed salted butter as the base for the sauce. A high quality butter will result in a more flavorful dish.
• Buttermilk is thick, creamy, and adds a layer of flavor, too!
• Shredded sharp cheddar cheese has a deeper flavor than other cheese, and helps add to the creaminess.

How to quickly make garlic lime chicken

1. Combine soy sauce, honey, lime juice, and spices in a bowl.
2. Add thin slices of chicken to the bowl, and coat each side evenly in the sauce.
3. Put a pan over medium heat. Add 1 TBS of olive oil.
4. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken, and sear on each side until it’s cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

How to make Baja Mac and Cheese

There are a few components to this hearty mac and cheese. First, there is the sauce, which can be quickly made in a small pan. Then there is the large elbow pasta that is cooked perfectly to al dente. Next is the sticky garlic lime chicken that is quickly seared over medium heat. Lastly, pico de gallo is assembled, adding color, texture, and a fresh flavor to this dish.

1. In a small pan, heat butter over medium heat. Once it is melted, add the flour, and stir until it forms a paste. Reduce heat to medium-low.
2. Add buttermilk, cheese, salt, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent cheese from sticking and burning on the bottom of the pan.
3. Cook pasta in a large pot of water to al dente according to package instruction.
4. Drain the pasta and add back to the pot. Pour cheese over the pasta and stir to combine.
5. In a cast iron, heat olive oil over medium heat.
6. Combine soy sauce, honey, lime juice, and spices in a bowl. Add thin chicken slices to the bowl, and coat evenly.
7. Add the chicken to the hot cast iron, and cook until done. Remove from heat and place to the side.
8. Assemble the pico de gallo by chopping 1 whole red onion, 5 deseeded roma tomatoes, 1 jalapeno, and a handful of cilantro. Squeeze 1 lime over the chopped vegetables, then toss a little salt on it.
9. Add 1 cup of pico de gallo to the pot of mac and cheese, and stir to combine.
10. Assemble the Baja Macaroni and Cheese by placing in individual bowls, top with chicken, sliced avocados, seared garlic lime chicken, cilantro, and extra pico de gallo. Mangia!

Heating macaroni and cheese in the oven:

Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. Serve the mac and cheese in a glass oven-safe dish, and heat for 10 minutes. The macaroni and cheese should still be super creamy, but adding an extra tablespoon of buttermilk will definitely help maintain that consistency.

Heating mac and cheese in a microwave:

Grab a microwavable dish, preferably glass and not plastic. Add the desired amount of mac and cheese to the bowl, and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes to two minutes.

I find that this mac and cheese can dry out in the microwave easier than the oven, so you can cover with a damp paper towel, or add an extra tablespoon of buttermilk before heating.

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