I am not kidding when I say that me and my husband were on our thirds with this meal. This was soooo good that we couldn’t stop eating it. After dinner I even went back and made extras for both of our lunches (because we had already eaten what extras I had saved LOL). I have never ordered this from Applebees before but my husband has and he claims it’s an exact replica, but be the judge yourself when you make this easy and delicious meal.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Serving amount: 4 servings

General ingredients:

• 16oz box of macaroni noodles (I used elbows, spirals would be good too)
• 1 bag Tyson 100% natural crispy chicken strips

Honey pepper sauce ingredients:

• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• juice from 1 lemon (about 1 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Mac and cheese sauce:

• 1 stick butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup Colby jack cheese
• 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

Begin by baking the chicken strips according to the package directions (I used the air fryer). While these are baking, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

While these are cooking, mix all the ingredients for the honey pepper sauce into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, whisking occasionally. Once finished, remove from heat to let cool so the sauce will thicken (about 10 minutes).

For the cheese sauce, melt the butter into a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, pour in the heavy cream. Whisk together until the heavy cream warms up. Begin adding the cheese about a handful at a time and whisk together until melted. Add in minced garlic and salt/pepper to taste.

Combine pasta noodles and cheese sauce. Mix together well. Once the honey pepper sauce has cooled slightly, toss chicken strips in the sauce. To plate, make a bed of macaroni and add 1 chicken strip on top. Serve!

Additional: Garnish with fresh parsley or crumbled bacon.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 1037kcal Carbohydrates: 74g Protein: 26g Fat: 72g Saturated Fat: 41g Cholesterol: 243mg Sodium: 1529mg Potassium: 353mg Sugar: 67g Vitamin A: 2330IU Vitamin C: 2.5mg Calcium: 554mg Iron: 1.4mg