Ingredients

The following ingredients have 5 Servings
  • 6 oz bacon, cooked & crumbled
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch ((for gluten-free or all-purpose flour))
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 - 2-1/4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided ((I used a shredded mix of mild & sharp cheddar))
  • 1-2 Tablespoons sriracha ((optional))
  • 2 cups cooked shredded chicken ((make it fast with rotisserie chicken))
  • 4 cups cooked spiral macaroni ((gluten-free if needed))

Instruction

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large cast iron skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan & set aside.
  • While bacon is cooking, cook noodles in large saucepan. Remove from pan, drain & set aside. (Keep bacon fat in pan.)
  • To same saucepan, add butter over medium heat until melted. Whisk cornstarch in until smooth. Add chicken broth slowly and continue whisking until smooth & thick. Season with salt & pepper.
  • Turn heat down and add 1-1/2 cups shredded cheese and stir until melted. Add sriracha if using. Remove from heat.
  • Toss noodles in cast iron skillet to coat with bacon fat. Add chicken and bacon to noodles and stir well. Pour sauce over all and mix well.
  • Sprinkle remaining 1 cup shredded cheese on top.
  • Pop into the oven for 30 minutes. If you like a nicely browned top, turn broiler on for last 5 minutes. Watch carefully as it can brown rather quickly. REMEMBER to remove skillet with pot holders (take it from me - it's just an automatic response to just reach in and grab the handle like you normally would on the stove - and believe me, I speak from experience!)