2012 Week #21

Ranch, Bacon, Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

This was the strangest recipe I have seen on Pinterest.  The first strange thing is that there is no ranch in it at all.  The gal who made it and put it on her blog was talking about how if you love ranch then this is the recipe for you!  There was no ranch anywhere in the recipe!  I was a bit confused.  Someone also wrote in the title on Pinterest that it was an amazing crockpot mac and cheese.  No where in the directions did it say to put it in the crockpot.  Someone even posted a comment on her blog saying that it looked good but she didn't want to try it because she didn't like that you had to cook it some first and then do the rest in the crock pot.  But it never told me to do anything with the crock pot.  Seriously confused.  Jay even told me not to bother trying it but I really wanted to and we actually really liked it.  It was a bit complicated because there are quite a few different pieces to it...like cooking the bacon, cooking the noodles, cooking the chicken and then combining everything.  But it was delicious and I think I would make it again!

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni

1 slice applewood-smoked bacon

8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups fat-free milk

1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cooking spray

1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.
Preheat broiler.
Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.