Chicken ranch mac & cheese

Chicken Ranch Macaroni and Cheese

The first time I made this casserole was to take to a neighbor.  I followed the original recipe, but kept wondering to myself why I wasn’t just adapting my own mac and cheese recipe.  I got the original version into the oven, looked around at my grease splattered stove, and figured I may as well make one for us too.  But for ours, I was going to use my go-to mac and cheese recipe as my starting point.

I’ve never been a fan of condensed cream of anything soups.  I think they’re pretty gross, so I eliminated that ingredient all together.  I tweaked this and changed that, and came up with my own version of chicken ranch macaroni and cheese.  I have to say, I wasn’t a big fan of the actual chicken part, though Jim thought it was a good addition.  I was also pretty doubtful that this was gonna taste even remotely like ranch, but it really did.  Not in an overpowering way though.  It was a nice subtle blend of flavors that tasted even better the next day as leftovers.  And the bacon was great too because it added a nice saltiness to each bite.

Will I give up my tried and true macaroni and cheese?  Nah, I love it too much.  But it’s nice to have something new once and a while, don’t you think?

{one year ago:  banana s’mores cupcakes}

Recipe:  Chicken Ranch Macaroni and Cheese

16 oz. dried pasta, I prefer whole wheat elbow macaroni or shells

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 package of bacon

1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 c. milk, any fat content

1 pkg. Italian blend shredded cheese; divided

1 c. Monterey Jack shredded cheese or Colby-Jack blend, divided

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dill

1 tsp. salt

pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan, leaving some drippings in the pan.  Drain bacon on a paper towel.  Add chicken to drippings, increase heat to medium-high and saute until no longer pink.  Set aside.

Melt butter in the same pot you made the pasta in.  Whisk in flour.  Cook and stir 2 minutes.  Add milk to saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Stir in most of the cheese.  (Reserve a handful of each cheese blend to sprinkle on top of casserole.)  Add pasta, spices, and chicken and stir to combine.

Spray 9×13″ baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Transfer pasta to baking pan.  Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and reserved cheeses.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until thoroughly heated.