Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac & Cheese


















From the March 2010 Cooking Light, this recipe was easy and tasty. This isn't a traditional baked mac and cheese stuffed full of cheese but is a way to get a mac and cheese fix with less calories. Don't bother cooking chicken just for this - shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken is perfect.
Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 slice applewood smoked bacon
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1.5 cups fat free milk
1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced sodium 98% fat free cream mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend
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, omitting salt and fat. Drain.

Cook bacon in non stick skillet until crisp. Remove bacon, reserve drippings. Finely chop bacon and set aside. Add chicken to drippings and saute 6 minutes or until done.

Melt butter in 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, still stirring with whisk. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat and let stand 4 minutes. Add italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt and stir until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

Preheat broiler.

Spoon mixture into 8x8 pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle bacon and colby-jack cheese on top. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

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