How To Make Easy KFC-Inspired Fried Chicken Mac And Cheese

Serves 2 to 4 pax

1 tsp salt

250g macaroni

For the cheese sauce:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2½ tbsp plain flour

2 cups milk

2½ cups grated sharp cheddar or a mix of your favourite cheeses (we like using a mix of cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan & Gruyere)

½ a chicken stock cube or 1 scant tsp chicken stock granules

a pinch of salt

a pinch of ground white pepper

For the crispy breadcrumb topping:​​​​​​​

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

3 tbsp melted butter

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 x 450g pack of frozen crispy chicken of your choice (we used CP Japanese Golden Crispy fried chicken)

2-4 tbsp honey barbeque sauce or sweet chilli sauce

1. Fill a large pot three-quarters of the way up with water. Add salt and bring to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package instructions.

2. Drain the macaroni under cold running water and set aside.

3. To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the flour and whisk to mix.

4. Add the milk in a gradual stream, whisking constantly to yield a smooth mixture. Continue whisking till it starts to thicken slightly, about 3 minutes.

5. Add the cheeses, chicken stock cube or granules, salt and pepper and stir with a wooden spoon. The mixture will meld into a smooth sauce and thicken up. Continue stirring for another 5 minutes. When the mixture coats your wooden spoon thickly, remove from the heat.

6. Pre-heat oven to 190°C, with a rack positioned in the centre of the oven.

7. Place the macaroni in a large bowl and add the cheese sauce. Mix with a rubber spatula so that the macaroni is evenly coated with the sauce.

8. Transfer to an oven dish, measuring about 28 cm by 18cm. It’s okay if your dish is slightly larger or smaller — but you want your mac and cheese to spread out to a layer of no more than 4cm thick in order to get the optimum ratio of creamy pasta to crunchy topping.

9. In small bowl, mix the panko, melted butter and grated Parmesan with a spoon. You want all the panko crumbs to be coated with the melted butter. Sprinkle this evenly over the pasta.

10. Place the chicken pieces on a foil-lined baking tray that will fit into your oven along with the dish of mac and cheese.

11. Bake for 25 minutes or until the surface of the mac and cheese is crisp and deeply golden.

12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

To serve, cut the mac and cheese into rectangles and top with a few pieces of the fried chicken. Drizzle the barbecue or sweet chilli sauce over and serve immediately.

Photos: Ealbert Ho/8 DAYS