Chicken Mac & Cheese - Recipe Challenge Week 2

As mentioned before, this is in no way a diet friendly week.  My girl Rachel likes her cheeses and butter.  To make my waistline a little happier, I did cut a bit of the butter, bacon and cheese from the original recipe and adjusted a few other minor things.

4 slices low sodium bacon, cooked to crisp
1 lb whole wheat penne or elbows
2 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast
EVOO
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 tbsp butter
1 large onion, quartered & thinly sliced
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp thyme
freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup shredded x-tra sharp cheddar
3/4 cup shredded gruyere cheese
salt & pepper

Heat broiler.

In a large pot, cook pasta to one minute shy of al dente.  Drain and return to pot.

Heat grill pan.  Drizzle chicken with EVOO and season evenly with paprika, salt & pepper.  Grill chicken for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until done.  Transfer to cutting board, halve and thinly slice.

Melt butter in medium saucepan.  Add onion and cook until very soft, 15 or 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with flour and whisk for 1 minute.  Add stock and then milk.  Bring to boil and cook, whisking, until sauce coats the back of a spoon.  Add thyme and season with salt, pepper & nutmeg.  Stir in cheeses until completely melted.

Add chicken, bacon and sauce to pasta and transfer to a casserole dish.  Broil until bubbly and browned.  About 5 minutes.

Although this dish left me craving a low cal salad, it was very yummy.  Needless to say, the kids devoured it.