Chicken Bacon Ranch Macaroni & Cheese Recipe (with Video)

Preparing the Chicken
1. Clean and pat dry the chicken breast.
2. Next, slice the chicken into 1-inch chunk sized pieces and add to a bowl.
3. Toss into the bowl 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon cumin.
4. Mix everything so that the chicken pieces are fully coated in the spices, then set aside.
Cooking the Bacon
1. In a large skillet on medium heat, lightly spray the skillet with non-stick cooking spray, then add in the bacon.
2. Cook the bacon for a couple of minutes, until it is crispy, then remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside.
3. Drain the bacon grease from the skillet but leave about 1 tablespoon of grease in the skillet.
Cooking the Chicken
1. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is done.
2. Once the chicken is done, remove from the skillet and set aside.
Preparing the Pasta
1. Cook elbow pasta according to the package instructions, until al-dente.
2. I recommend cooking the pasta in 4 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of kosher salt.
Preparing the Cheese
1. Freshly shred cheddar, colby jack, and mozzarella cheese.
2. Add the cheese to one bowl and mix them well together to form a cheese blend, then set aside.
Preheating the Oven
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Preparing the Roux
1. In a large cooking pot on medium-low heat, add in butter and melt.
2. Once the butter is melted and foaming, add in flour.
3. Continuously whisk the flour for about 1-2 minutes; the flour should become slightly brown but be sure to not burn the roux.
4. Then, add in heavy cream, turn up the heat to medium and whisk in well with the roux.
5. Continuously whisk until the heavy cream comes to a high simmer.
6. Once at a high simmer, slightly reduce heat so the sauce can come to a low simmer.
Adding the Seasonings
1. Add in 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, then mix in.
2. Periodically stir the sauce for about 2-3 minutes, as the sauce will thicken while it simmers.
Finalizing the Sauce
1. Once the sauce has thickened, remove the sauce from the heat and let cool for about 1 minute.
2. Next, add in sour cream and mix well.
3. Then, add in half of the cheese blend and stir until fully melted.
Combining the Ingredients
1. After stirring in the cheese, add in the cooked pasta and fold into the cheese sauce.
2. Then, chop our bacon and add to the pasta, along with our chicken and fold in.
Layering the Dish
1. Add half of our macaroni mixture to a baking dish and top with half of our remaining cheese.
2. Then, add in the rest of our macaroni mixture and top with the remaining cheese.
3. Lightly sprinkle the top layer of the cheese with smoked paprika.
Baking the Dish
1. Bake in the oven, uncovered for 25-30 minutes.
2. Cheese should be crispy and slightly browned.
3. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.