Mac and cheese is a perfect comfort food. But I like to think there’s always a way to make perfection even more freakin’ delicious, which led to: BBQ mac and cheese! Instead of using a regular cheese sauce, this mac and cheese recipe takes things up a notch with beer cheese. And Samuel Adams is the ideal beer for our creamy cheese sauce.
I went with Samuel Adams American Light for the barbecue mac and cheese recipe. It’s a classic light craft lager with floral hop notes, balanced by a light sweetness. This combo is perfect for both flavor and easy drinking, making it ideal for our cheesy mac. Plus, the American Light is made with all American ingredients! Make sure to buy a six-pack, since you’ll want to bring this beer to tailgates, beach days, backyard dinners and more.
Post sponsored by Samuel Adams
Why You’ll Love BBQ Mac & Cheese
Mac and cheese is one of my go-to BBQ sides. Adding the barbecue chicken into the skillet, right next to the pasta, brings those two amazing flavors together. Also, adding the Samuel Adams lager to the homemade cheese sauce makes it creamy and slightly earthy, creating more depth in the dish.
I use boneless chicken thighs in this recipe, but you can use boneless chicken breasts if that’s what you have on hand. All in all, this mac and cheese is a great excuse to break out your favorite BBQ sauce and beer!
Want more BBQ sauce classics? Check out Guinness BBQ Sauce, Best BBQ Sauce Recipes, BBQ Bacon Burger and BBQ Volcano Potatoes.
BBQ Mac & Cheese Ingredients
- Chicken: We’ll season boneless, skinless chicken thighs with your favorite barbecue rub and barbecue sauce, then garnish with fried shallots and green onions.
- Beer Cheese: The best part! We’ll make our mac and cheese with cooked elbow macaroni, a lot of cheese — sharp cheddar cheese and gouda cheese, to be exact — whole milk, Samuel Adams American Light, all-purpose flour, butter, Dijon mustard, garlic powder and cayenne powder.
The Perfect Pasta
Elbow macaroni is a classic for mac and cheese for a reason: it’s small, making it easy to eat, and it gives the cheese sauce a chance to shine. But since the macaroni will cook a little bit in our cheese sauce, be sure to cook it “al dente” for the best mac.
Al dente translates from Italian as “to the tooth.” Basically, you want to cook pasta to be a little bit firm when you bite it. That way, it doesn’t get mushy and overcooked when it’s inside the sauce. The instructions on the box should give you an al dente time (usually about 6-7 minutes for elbows).
So, stick with that in this BBQ mac and cheese recipe. You can also take out a noodle around this time and test it — you don’t want it too firm, but it should have a slight bite and a tender center.
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How to Make BBQ Mac & Cheese
Grilling the Chicken
First, slather 6 boneless chicken thighs in canola oil and generously season them with 3 tablespoons of your favorite BBQ rub. Once you’ve completed this seasoning step, preheat your grill to high heat (about 400 degrees Fahrenheit). Then, place your chicken on the grill and cook the pieces for 6-8 minutes per side, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Once the chicken is done, pull it off the grill and let it rest for a few minutes.
Slice the chicken thighs into thin, bite-sized pieces and slather them in your favorite BBQ sauce. Set aside and keep warm.
Making the Cheese Sauce
To make the beer cheese sauce for our BBQ mac and cheese, place a skillet on the grill. Then, add 2.5 tablespoons butter, 2.5 tbsp cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon garlic powder and 1.5 teaspoons cayenne powder. Melt butter with the rest of the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
Once those ingredients have thickened into a paste, slowly add 2/3 cup Samuel Adams American Light in batches to fully integrate it and let the mixture thicken. When it’s all mixed together, add 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.
Finally, add 1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese and 1.5 cups shredded gouda cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese is fully integrated and smooth. Thin out the sauce with 3/4 cup whole milk at the end.
Serving the BBQ Mac & Cheese
Finally, add in 4 cups of cooked macaroni elbows and mix until fully incorporated. Then, push all the macaroni to one side and fill the other side with the chopped and tossed BBQ chicken.
I garnished mine with sesame seeds and chopped chives. Enjoy!
What to Serve with BBQ Mac & Cheese
This cheese lovers meal is so freakin’ delicious, but it’s also pretty rich and filling. Given that, I’d stick with a simple green side dish to round out your BBQ mac and cheese meal. A garden salad, grilled zucchini or asparagus, or even some sliced bell peppers would work well here. And a cold Samuel Adams to drink!
Leftovers and Reheating
If you’ve got leftover chicken, store it in the airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat, reheat the chicken at medium heat in a pan on the grill or stovetop. You can add a little more BBQ sauce when you’re reheating to keep the chicken from drying out.
For leftover homemade macaroni and cheese, store in a separate airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. For best results, reheat it in a skillet over the fire.
More Pasta and Cheese
FAQs
You could use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this BBQ mac and cheese instead of chicken thighs. Or, if you have leftover pulled pork, I bet that would be freakin’ delicious with the beer mac and cheese. Toss your leftover meat with the BBQ sauce, serve it with the pasta, and behold the brilliance of pork mac.
As far as different types of cheeses, Colby Jack and Monterey Jack are both good options. That way, you’ll still get some of the sharpness of cheddar. The gouda cheese helps make the mac and cheese even cheesier and creamier, so I wouldn’t skip it here.
Samuel Adams has been making freakin’ delicious craft beer since the early 1980s, so it’s basically everywhere in the U.S. Check out the company’s Find a Sam page to buy or order near you.
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BBQ Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 6 Boneless Chicken Thighs
- 3 tbsp Favorite BBQ Rub
- Favorite BBQ Sauce
- Fried Shallots garnish
- Green Onions garnish
- Canola Oil as needed
Beer Cheese:
- 4 cups Macaroni Elbows cooked
- 1.5 cups Sharp Cheddar shredded
- 1.5 cups Gouda Cheese shredded
- ¾ cup Whole Milk
- ⅔ cup Sam Adams American Light
- 2.5 tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 2.5 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1.5 tsp Cayenne Powder
Instructions
Chicken:
- Slather your chicken in oil and generously season with your favorite bbq rub.
- Preheat your grill to high heat (400F).
- Add your chicken to the grill and cook for 6-8 minutes per side until 165F internal. Once done, pull them off and let them rest for a couple of minutes.
- Finally, slice them really thin into bite size pieces and slather in bbq sauce. Set to the side and keep warm.
Mac & Cheese:
- Add a skillet to the grill. Add your butter, flour, garlic powder and cayenne powder to the skillet to melt and mix for 1-2 minutes.
- Once thickened into a paste, slowly add your Sam Adams American Light in batches to fully integrate it and let the mixture thicken.
- Once mixed, add your mustard.
- Finally, add your shredded cheese and keep stirring until fully integrated and smooth. Thin out the sauce with the milk at the end if needed.
- Finally, add in your cooked macaroni elbows and mix until fully incorporated.
- Push macaroni to one side of the skillet and add the bbq chicken to the other.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped chives. Enjoy!
