When I was pregnant with Will (my 3 year old) Ben and I went to Subway nearly once a week for dinner. I always ordered a Chicken & Bacon Ranch Melt Sub (along with like 10 chocolate chip cookies) with extra pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, pickled jalapenos, and extra ranch sauce. On top of all of that, I asked for mayonnaise as well. I was a total glutton when I was pregnant with Will. I figured it was probably the last time in my life I would be able to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without feeling completely guilty. Ben and I ate cake nearly every single day during those months!
The other day I was thinking about that flavor combination (chicken, bacon, and ranch). I thought it might make a great mac and cheese. I added everything to the mac and cheese that I would normally have had on that Subway sandwich except the lettuce and mayo. My 16 year old Sam said it was fantastic! He also ate leftovers of it the following day so I know it was a complete hit!
Sometimes I wish I could eat mac and cheese every day but then I probably wouldn’t appreciate it as much as I do now only having it a few times a year.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese
Ingredients:
-1 neutral flavor rotisserie chicken (picked clean of its meat and chopping to make sure every piece is bite sized)
-1 lb. thick cut bacon (cooked on paper towels in the microwave on high heat for 12 minutes and then cut into bite sized pieces)
-One 4 oz. can sliced black olives (drained and rinsed)
– ½ c. sliced pickled jalapenos (drained)
-2/3 of a one pound container (bag) of Cavatappi (corkscrew pasta)boiled in well salted water for 9 minutes then drained.
-1 envelope ranch dressing powder (I used Hidden Valley)
-24 oz. pepper jack cheese (shredded)
-2 to 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
– ¼ c. flour
-2 to 3 c. half & half (warmed in the microwave for ~1 minute)
– ½ c. tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
– ½ c. panko breadcrumbs
-1 Tbsp. olive oil
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large casserole dish with foil lined parchment paper. In a large bowl combine chicken, bacon, olives, jalapenos, cooked pasta, and ranch dressing powder. Stir well to coat all ingredients with ranch powder. Pour all ingredients into the lined casserole dish.
Next, in a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir to form a roux. Begin to add warmed half & half a little at a time (stirring constantly so lumps do not form). Keep adding half & half a little at a time until all of the butter and flour mixture have been incorporated and mixture has thinned out. I used ~ 2.5 c. of the half & half. Continue cooking half & half over med-low heat until mixture thickens stirring constantly. This will take a while, maybe 5 to 10 minutes or so. After sauce thickens, remove from heat. Then add 16 oz. of the shredded cheese about ½ c. at a time melting completely between each addition. Set cheese sauce aside. Reserve the last 8 oz. of shredded cheese for the top of the mac & cheese.
Next pour cheese sauce over the pasta mixture. You may not use all of the sauce (I need to learn how to pair this down so it is exact). Top with remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle tomatoes evenly over the cheese. Mix panko and olive oil. Sprinkle panko evenly over the top of the casserole. Place casserole in hot oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (until panko is golden brown and casserole is hot and bubbly. Remove from oven, let rest for 10 to 20 minutes. Then EAT!!!
I love mac and cheese with bacon, and, adding chicken and bacon to pasta dishes is often what I have for dinner! I bet Ranch flavor was a great addition!
Sometimes I feel like adding Ranch seasoning is cheating. But, then I taste the dish and think,”If adding a Ranch seasoning packet is cheating I don’t care!”