Creamy Spicy Cheddar Chicken Noodles
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Noodles and chicken
- 300 g egg noodles rounded
- 500 g boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin strips rounded
- 8 g paprika rounded
- 3 g cayenne pepper rounded
- 30 ml olive oil rounded
- to taste fine salt and black pepper rounded
Cheese sauce
- 30 g butter rounded
- 3 garlic cloves, minced rounded
- 5 g chili flakes rounded
- 300 ml milk rounded
- 100 g cream cheese rounded
- 150 g sharp cheddar, shredded rounded
- 10 g fresh parsley, chopped rounded
Method
Method
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Toss the chicken strips with the paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Pour in the milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Whisk in the cream cheese a spoonful at a time, until fully melted and smooth.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring constantly until each addition melts before adding more, until the sauce is smooth and glossy. Keep the heat low throughout; cheddar added too fast over high heat breaks into oil and grainy curds instead of staying silky.
- Return the chicken to the skillet. Add the drained noodles and toss gently to coat everything in the sauce.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Scatter with parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
- Melt the cream cheese into the milk before the cheddar goes anywhere near it. Cream cheese acts as a stabiliser; a cheddar-only sauce is much more prone to breaking into oil and grit, especially if the heat runs high.
- Add the cheddar gradually, off high heat, letting each handful melt before the next goes in. Dumping it all in at once over strong heat is the single most common way a cheese sauce splits.
- Sear the chicken in a single layer without crowding the pan. Crowded chicken steams instead of browning, and misses out on the flavour a real sear builds.
- The sauce thickens further as it sits, so if reheating leftovers, loosen with a splash of milk.
Ingredient substitutions
- Monterey Jack or a mild Gouda can replace some of the cheddar for a milder, meltier result.
- Rotisserie chicken, shredded and stirred in at the end, is a good shortcut in place of searing raw chicken.
- A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the richness of the sauce.