#89 Take 2

Grilled Chicken-and-Bacon-(and Broccoli)

Mac 'n' Cheese

YUM YUM! New Recipe:

Grilled Chicken-and-Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese (Serves 4-6)

courtesy of Every Day with Rachael Ray

~6 slices good-quality smoky bacon

~salt and pepper

~1 pound whole wheat short-cut pasta

~2 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast, lightly pounded

~Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) for drizzling

~1/2 tsp. sweet smoked paprika

~4 tbsp. butter

~1 large onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

~2 rounded tbsp. flour

~1/2 cup chicken stock OR cloudy apple cider

~2 cups whole milk

~2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

~Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

~1 1/2 cups shredded extra-sharp white cheddar cheese

~1 cup shredded gruyere cheese

~Chopped flat parsley for celery greens for garnish

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange the bacon on a slotted broiler pan or on a rack placed over a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Chose and reserve. Switch on the broiler and position the rack in the center of the oven.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the past and cooke 1 minute less than the instructions indicate, or until just shy of al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

While the pasta is working, heat a grill pan or cast-iron griddle over med-high heat. Drizzle the chicken with EVOO to coat lightly, then season lightly with paprika, salt, and pepper. Grill the chicken for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Transfer to a cutting board and halve the chicken pieces lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

While the chicken cooks, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden brown and very soft, 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Whisk in the stock or cider then the milk. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking, until the sauce covers the back of a spoon, 3-4 minutes. Add the thyme and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in the cheeses until melted.

Add the chicken, bacon and sauce to the pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Broil until bubbling and browned, 5 minutes. Garnish.

As always, I followed the recipe but not to a "T". The first thing I did "wrong" was double the sauce recipe. I wasn't exactly sure how much weight in pasta I was cooking, so I wanted to make sure it was creamy enough...extra creamy being OKAY too :) When I went to the store to buy the ingredients, I was not in the mood to search for Gruyere cheese, so I just used an extra italian blend with the white cheddar instead. I also thought I had penne in the cupboard (so of course I didn't buy any) and when I got home...did not have any noodles but linguine..so they had to do!! My sister was over helping me make it and instead of mixing everything together...she suggested just layering in the pan...so we did. (oh we added broccoli too) It turned out SUPER yummy and SUPER creamy! DELICIOUS!! I would def. make this one again!!

The finished product...since I used linguine, I had to cut it like lasagna :)

Just stirring the chicken...oh I cut the chicken before I cooked it too...I hate handling HOT chicken!

My sis taking her turn stirring the cream sauce