Chicken Bacon Mac n Cheese

Yesterday I was sitting at home with my husband trying to figure out how to use the chicken boobs (yes, I said chicken boobs) we had thawed out in the fridge, and use them in such a way that we could have 2 different meals out of them in a row. 4 big chicken boob halves and 2 dinners to be prepared... I wanted something different that wasn't just plain chicken.

So I went down a list of yummy things I like to make with chicken breast. (Eventually I'll have recipes for these)

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole?
Honey Pecan Chicken?
Pizza-topped Chicken?
Spicy Chicken and Spinach Rotini? (A pasta-casserole variation of this yummy dish)
Baked Chicken Spaghetti? (A recipe from my great granny that I'll have to eventually share)

Then I started tossing out ideas on what I could make with the chicken, that I hadn't made before, and this was the result.

The winning comment went like this:

"I want to make beer bread... OOH HOW ABOUT A CHICKEN BACON MAC N CHEESE?"

(Product Plug! The Tastefully Simple Beer Bread is so easy and so delicious, I always buy the 3 pack for our pantry... it makes a loaf of bread that's about a pound and a half, and all it takes is mixing a bottle of beer with a packet of mix and optionally pouring some melted butter over the top, then baking for 50 minutes)

My husband's face was like... "Wha...?" (He's used to my seemingly random jumps between thoughts, and gives me that look so I'll explain the steps from A to B - though not how I managed to make that jump in less than a second)

1) I love the Tastefully Simple Beer Bread (so does he) and wanted it with whatever I made
2) The beer bread, crumbled up, makes an excellent topping for baked mac n cheese
3) I looooove home made baked mac n cheese
4) We could put chicken in the mac n cheese
5) Bacon makes every thing better.

Thus my outburst. Then I started plotting how I was going to tackle this dish, and what we had in the kitchen to make it. (We had to get pepper jack from the store, but still, mostly things at home)

I came up with this list:

Milk, flour and bacon grease not pictured.

8oz elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
2 cup shredded colby jack cheese (or mild cheddar) (divided)
1 cup shredded pepper jack (divided)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (divided)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
4 cups milk
3 tbsp flour
ground mustard
garlic powder
4 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp bacon grease
2 - 8oz chicken breasts cooked and cubed or shredded (or both, since that's what happens to me every time) (about 2 1/2 cups)
10 - 12 slices cooked and crumbled bacon (reserve some grease)
1 1/2 cup cubed beer bread (or other cubed bread, or 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs) + 2 tbsp melted butter

How I put it together:

Boil the chicken breast, allow to cool, then cut it into small chunks.

Prepare and bake the beer bread, following package directions.

I wish you could smell this.

Cook and crumble the bacon, reserving a couple tablespoons of the grease

Boil and drain the macaroni, and put in a large bowl

Add crumbled bacon and chicken to pasta, and set aside

==Heat oven to 350*F==

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter, and add reserved bacon grease

Add flour and spices, and cook until brown

Add about a half a cup of milk and stir until smooth, then add the rest of the milk and the cheeses (minus 1/3 cup of each shredded cheese (if desired) for the topping - I skipped this and put it all in the sauce)

Cook and stir until smooth, until bubbling slightly... stir constantly so it doesn't stick or clump, and let to bubble for a minute or so, allowing the sauce to thicken

Pour cheese sauce over macaroni and meat mixture, 1 cup at a time (I used 4 cups sauce and reserved 1 cup) then pour into a 9x13 casserole dish.

Top with remaining cheeses (if you saved some), bread crumbs/cubes

Drizzle with 2 tbsp melted butter, and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until topping is golden, and cheese is bubbly.

The sauce will seem thin at first, but as it heats to bubbling, it will thicken, and then thicken a bit more in the oven.

There was just a little too much sauce for the pasta/meat mixture. I reserved about 1 cup of sauce and used it like fondue for the rest of the beer bread, it was yummy! If you don't want extra sauce, just reduce the amount of milk and cheese you add, or make more pasta for a bigger casserole.

ENJOY!
~Mandy

Honey Pecan Chicken Breasts

Back in my early 20s, I was lucky to be able to boil water for Ramen, scramble eggs without them turning into a charred pile of yuck or a soggy nasty mess, or make a grilled cheese without burning the house down. I had labeled myself a microwave aficionado. I was excellent at popping stuff in the microwave. I was semi-okay at sticking a frozen pizza in the oven. I ate a lot of cereal.

Then, when I was 25, I met this guy who was even more hopeless in the kitchen than I was. I decided that at least one of us should know how to cook so I picked up a Taste of Home cook book and taught myself how to cook (which was good, because we ended up getting married). I now have a collection of cook books that rivals my collection of fiction (and I am an avid reader).

One of my favorite finds was in an all-chicken cook book released by Taste of Home. It's' got a small ingredient list, and was easy enough for me to prepare without too much stress. Honey Pecan Chicken is a very pretty dish that combines the sweetness of honey, the spice of cayenne, and the crunch of pecans to really turn up the flavor on a plain old chicken breast. It's great with some steamed veggies to make a nice, fairly healthy meal that is quick and easy to put together. It's easy to modify/multiply to fit your family's taste buds and needs, and has become a staple in my weekly meal plans.

I've only changed this recipe very slightly (garlic powder instead of minced garlic, adding cinnamon to the pecans, browning in olive oil instead of butter), and it's a hit every time.

Your cast of characters:

Not pictured: garlic powder

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded flat
Salt
Pepper
Ground cayenne 
Garlic powder
Cinnamon
Finely chopped pecans
Honey
Olive oil (or butter), for browning

Season the chicken breasts with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ground cayenne. Cook in olive oil until juices run clear.

While the chicken is cooking mix a little cinnamon and ground cayenne to the chopped pecans, and set them aside.

Once the chicken is done, remove from heat and drizzle with honey then sprinkle the pecans over the top. I usually put a little more honey over top of the pecans, but that's optional. Then you're done, and you get this:

With a side of zucchini and onions.

That's all. Quick and easy and delicious.

Enjoy!
~Mandy