Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese

Yum! Neither of us tasted the dill. This was really good!!!

Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese

Photo by ALB

A tablespoon of flour stabilizes the milk so that you can bring the sauce to a boil. The combination of onion and garlic powders plus fresh dill creates a flavor similar to ranch dressing.

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
3 slice applewood-smoked bacon
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups 2% milk
1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento), divided
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray


Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. 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.

3. 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 3/4C  Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

4. Preheat broiler.

5. 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.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 2 cups)

CALORIES 497 ; FAT 17g (sat 9.2g,mono 4.7g,poly 1.4g); CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 368mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.7g; SODIUM 767mg; PROTEIN 33.3g; FIBER 2g; IRON 2.4mg

Cooking Light, MARCH 2010

15 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)