Before you cook
Background Recipe story & origin
This version uses quality jarred butter chicken sauce mixed into cheese sauce with rotisserie chicken. It's the version that went viral because it's achievable on a weeknight. No toasting spices, no simmering sauce—just smart use of convenience products. The jarred sauce provides complex spicing and tomato richness; you add the cheese and comfort factor. Sometimes practical beats from-scratch.
Before you start Equipment you'll need
- large pot — Provides capacity for cooking pasta until al dente and making creamy cheese sauce
- baking dish — Provides structure for baking mac and cheese until bubbly and golden on top
Safety Safety & allergen notes
- Pasta should be slightly undercooked as it finishes in the oven.
- Broiler can burn the top quickly; watch carefully.
Non-negotiables Rules for success
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Use quality jarred sauce.
The sauce does the heavy lifting; a good brand like Maya Kaimal or Patak's matters
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Don't overcook the pasta.
Pasta continues cooking in the oven; al dente prevents mush
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Mix sauce into cheese sauce.
Integrating curry sauce creates unified flavor, not separate layers
Prep Get set first
About 5 min of prep
- Shred rotisserie chicken
- Grate cheeses
- Boil pasta water
- Preheat oven to 375°F
This is the shortcut version using jarred curry sauce. No shame - it's delicious and done in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Cook pasta
Cook pasta until just al dente; drain.
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Make sauce
In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat (325-350°F surface). Add milk, cream, and salt. When steaming, remove from heat. Stir in cheddar and half the mozzarella until smooth. Stir in jarred curry sauce until combined.
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Combine and bake
Fold pasta and chicken into sauce. Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 375°F for 12 minutes until bubbly. Broil 2 minutes until golden.
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Serve
Let rest 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.
Chef's notes
Maya Kaimal, Patak's, and Trader Joe's make good jarred butter chicken sauce.
Rotisserie chicken is the weeknight hero here.
Can skip baking and serve stovetop if really pressed for time.