Chicken Mac and Cheese ... a new take on an old classic

I just had to share this with y'all!  Chris and I were having a quiet dinner the other night together.  Given our recent cold spell and the stress of the  past few weeks, the ultimate comfort food sounded perfect.

So after the kids were all settled doing there things for the evening, I decided to whip up a really tasty favorite of mine ... a gourmet macaroni and cheese that is made with chicken, bacon (of course), and gorgonzola, muenster and monterey jack cheeses.  Its really not all the difficult and pairs well with a salad of fresh baby greens with herbs, tomatoes, red peppers and a zippy vinegarette (I usually prefer a balsamic or a greek myself).  I also love baking it up in individual baking dishes or ramekins depending on how hungry you are or if it is going to be a side dish. 

Also, you can use any type of pasta that you prefer ... I used ziti in this one because I love the way it looks; however shells or elbows or bowties work fine.  You can also subtract the meat and make it vegetarian by replacing the chicken and bacon with roasted red peppers and sauted mushrooms ... or add them to this recipe if you want some excitement.  You can also increase the amount of cheese in the recipe depending on how cheesy you like it but the gorgonzola should remain the same as suggested in the recipe.

Chicken and Bacon Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

4 tbls unsalted butter

4 tbls all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups of whole milk
2 ounces of gorgonzola cheese
1 cup of shredded muenster cheese
1 cup of shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 box of pasta (ziti, elbow, bowtie, or other)
2 chicken breasts cubed
olive oil
4 strips of bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare pasta according to the package instructions in a 6 quart pan.  Once boiled al dente, drain and return to the pan.  While the pasta is cooking, place the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the cubed chicken breast meat and pan fry until the chicken cubes are browned and cooked through.  Add this to the drained pasta in the 6 quart pan.  Using the same skillet, fry the bacon.  Once crisp, remove the bacon to drain and once cool, crumble into the pasta and chicken. 

Using a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the salt and pepper and flour to the pan and whisk together until thoroughly mixed.  Allow this to bubble for about a minute to cook out the flour taste.  Add the milk to the pan whisking while pouring to mix and prevent lumps from forming.  Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking occasionally to prevent sticking until the mixture begins to thicken (like a sauce or gravy consistency).  Now add the cheese to the milk mixture, stirring until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is thick.  Pour this mixture over the pasta and meat in the pan.  Divide among four individual ramekins or baking dishes or place in one large baking dish which has been sprayed with PAM.  Sprinkle the top with a little monterey jack cheese.  Place in oven and back for 25 minutes or until the top is browned and the mixture is bubbly. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Eat up and smile!