{"id":99,"date":"2023-07-07T16:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T20:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/?post_type=recipe&#038;p=99"},"modified":"2025-11-05T17:55:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T22:55:56","slug":"cajun-macaroni-and-cheese","status":"publish","type":"recipe","link":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/recipe\/cajun-macaroni-and-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Cajun Macaroni and Cheese"},"template":"","recipe_time":[18],"recipe_type":[118,99,90,83,33,77,38,59],"class_list":["post-99","recipe","type-recipe","status-publish","hentry","recipe_time-30-60-minutes","recipe_type-100-natural-chicken","recipe_type-back-to-school","recipe_type-chicken","recipe_type-entertaining","recipe_type-lunch-dinner","recipe_type-pasta-noodles","recipe_type-small-group","recipe_type-stovetop-skillet"],"acf":{"pr_id":"vf-cajun-macaroni-and-cheese","recipe_chef":{"name":"","link_type":"none","page":null,"url_internal_custom":"","url":"","file":null,"email_address":"","email_subject":"","email_body":"","phone_number":""},"recipe_featured_image":87,"recipe_introduction":"","simple_introduction":"","recipe_description":"Enjoy a savory twist on the classic comfort food. This recipe features macaroni noodles that are coated in a creamy cheese sauce that has been seasoned with Cajun spices and <em>VALLEY FRESH<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/em> chicken garnished with thyme leaves.","serving_information":{"serving_display":"","recipe_yield":""},"recipe_times":{"prep_time":10,"cook_time":30,"perform_time":""},"recipe_parts":[{"title":"","ingredients":[{"amount":{"whole_number":8,"fraction":"","unit":"oz"},"description":"uncooked elbow or small shell macaroni","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":2,"fraction":"","unit":"tbsp"},"description":"butter","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":"","fraction":"frac12","unit":"cup"},"description":"finely chopped onion","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":2,"fraction":"","unit":""},"description":"cloves garlic, finely chopped","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":2,"fraction":"","unit":"tbsp"},"description":"all-purpose flour","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":1,"fraction":"frac12","unit":"cup"},"description":"regular or evaporated milk","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":2,"fraction":"","unit":"tsp"},"description":"hot pepper sauce","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":"","fraction":"frac34","unit":"tsp"},"description":"dried Cajun seasoning","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":"","fraction":"frac12","unit":"tsp"},"description":"smoked or sweet paprika","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":2,"fraction":"","unit":"cup"},"description":"cubed American cheese","product":""},{"amount":{"whole_number":1,"fraction":"","unit":""},"description":"(10-ounce) can <em>VALLEY FRESH<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/em> 100% Natural* White &amp; Dark Chicken, drained","product":[109]},{"amount":{"whole_number":"","fraction":"","unit":""},"description":"Garnish: fresh thyme leaves, if desired","product":""}],"directions":[{"content":"Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well. Set aside."},{"content":"Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saut\u00e9 onion and garlic for 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour into pan; cook and stir 2 minutes. Gradually stir in milk, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, and paprika until sauce thickens. Stirring constantly, mix in cheese; continue to cook until melted and smooth."},{"content":"Stir in cooked macaroni until well coated with sauce. Add chicken, either stirring it in or serving in large spoonfuls on top. Add garnish, if desired."}]}],"nutrition_info":"*Minimally processed. No artificial ingredients."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/recipe\/99","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/recipe"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/recipe"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/recipe\/99\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":594,"href":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/recipe\/99\/revisions\/594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"recipe_time","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/recipe_time?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"recipe_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hormel.com\/brands\/valley-fresh-chicken\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/recipe_type?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}