Applebee’s Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese Copycat

Applebee’s Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese Copycat

Large, craggy chicken strips top creamy penne in this Applebee’s-inspired dinner. The pasta gets a mozzarella-and-white-cheddar sauce with bacon, while a light honey-black-pepper glaze adds sweetness and heat without covering the chicken’s crust. The key is to keep the fried strips on a rack, then glaze and place them over the pasta just before serving. A little parsley and a breadstick finish each bowl.

Ingredients

Servings: 4 generous entrée bowls. Prep: 25 minutes, including the chicken soak. Cook: 35–40 minutes. Total: About 60–65 minutes.

Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise into 8–12 similarly thick strips (about 680g)
• 1 cup buttermilk (240g)
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (150g)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Neutral frying oil, about 1–2 cups, or enough for 1/2 inch of depth in the skillet

Mac and Cheese

• 12 ounces dry penne (340g)
• Salt for the pasta water
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (about 45g)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 25g)
• 2 cups whole milk (480g)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar (170g)
• 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella (110g)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/3 cup cooked, crumbled bacon, about 4 slices (35g), divided

Glaze and Serving

• 1/3 cup honey (about 115g)
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water, divided
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 4 ready-to-serve breadsticks

How to Make Honey Pepper Chicken Mac and Cheese

1. Soak the chicken: Coat the chicken strips in buttermilk and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes. While they soak, mix the 1 1/4 cups flour, garlic powder, paprika and 1 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Start the pasta during the soak.
2. Cook the penne: Boil the penne in a roomy pot of salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
3. Make the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the 3 tablespoons flour and cook briefly, until no dry flour remains. Gradually whisk in the milk. Simmer uncovered, stirring, until smooth and thick enough to coat a spoon, about 8–10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cheddar and mozzarella until melted. Do not boil the sauce after adding the cheese. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to taste.
4. Coat the pasta: Fold the penne and most of the bacon into the sauce over low heat or off the heat. The sauce should cling to separate pasta tubes without forming a thick mass. If it tightens while the chicken cooks, stir in reserved pasta water a splash at a time.
5. Fry the chicken: Pour about 1/2 inch of oil into a 12-inch heavy skillet and heat it over medium to medium-high heat to approximately 325–350°F (165–175°C). Let excess buttermilk drip from each strip, then press the chicken into the seasoned flour to build an uneven coating. Fry in batches with space between the strips, turning when the undersides are deeply golden. Start checking around 4 minutes per side; cooking usually takes 4–5 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Adjust the heat if the crust darkens before the center cooks. The thickest part must reach 165°F (75°C). Transfer the strips to a wire rack set over a tray.
6. Make the glaze: Simmer the honey, black pepper, vinegar and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Mix the cornstarch with the remaining 1 tablespoon cold water, then whisk it into the glaze. Simmer uncovered for 2–3 minutes, until glossy and lightly thickened. It should cling to a spoon but still flow easily.
7. Assemble just before serving: Divide the bacon-flecked penne among four wide, shallow bowls. Overlap 2 or 3 chicken strips on each serving. Brush or lightly drizzle with glaze, leaving the golden crust visible. Scatter the remaining bacon and parsley over the bowls and place a breadstick along the edge of each.

How to Keep the Chicken Crisp

Drain the fried strips on a wire rack rather than directly on paper towels, where moisture can collect beneath the coating. Use just enough glaze to give the chicken a light sheen and serve any extra separately. Once the strips sit on the creamy pasta, their undersides begin to soften, so assemble the bowls when everyone is ready to eat.

How to Keep the Cheese Sauce Smooth

Let the milk-and-flour sauce thicken before adding the cheese, then keep the heat low while the cheese melts. Boiling the finished sauce can make it grainy. If the penne absorbs sauce while it waits, stir in a splash of reserved pasta water or warm milk until the sauce flows easily around the tubes again.

Shortcut Chicken Option

To skip soaking, dredging and frying raw chicken, use about 1 1/2 pounds prepared breaded chicken strips. Cook according to package directions and confirm the applicable safe endpoint. Keep the strips whole and add them to the pasta only at serving.

Make-Ahead and Leftovers

Keep the pasta, chicken and glaze separate if preparing them ahead. Refrigerate leftovers in separate airtight containers for up to 3 days. Warm the mac and cheese gently on the stovetop with a splash of milk, warm the glaze separately, and reheat the chicken separately until heated through. The coating may recover some crispness, though it will not be quite like freshly fried chicken. Add the breadsticks when serving, warming them according to package directions if desired.

For another sweet-glazed chicken dinner, try honey-soy sesame chicken thighs.

Nutrition

Approximate per serving, including one breadstick: 1,375 calories, 80g protein, 62g fat and 130g carbohydrates. Approximate per 100g: 220 calories, 13g protein, 10g fat and 21g carbohydrates. These are estimates; breadstick size, the flour that adheres to the chicken and oil absorbed during frying will affect the totals.