Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese

Only two words to describe this dinner......SO GOOD!!!!  John and I love this dish, and Joey even ate it with us last night!  :)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni (about 2 1/2cups)
• 1 slice of bacon (I do 4 slices)
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups of milk
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 3/4 cup shredded six-cheese Italian blend (like Sargento, I also have just used a three-cheese blend)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill (I have used dried as well, still tastes good)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

2. Cook bacon in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until crisp.
Remove bacon from pan, leaving the drippings in pan.  Finely chop the bacon; set aside.
Increase heat to medium-high.  Add chicken to drippings in pan and cook until no longer pink inside.

3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, sprinkle flour evenly into pan. 
Cook for 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.  Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic salt, and dill, stirring until the cheese melts.  Stir in pasta and chicken.

 
4.  Preheat broiler.

5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch glass baking dish (I used corningware).  Sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese and bacon.  Broil for 3 minutes or until cheese melts.  Makes about 4 servings.

***John and I both love ketchup on our mac n' cheese, but I felt like ketchup would ruin it, so we use Bullseye Bold BBQ sauce, and it's really good!!!!  Enjoy!