I’ve wanted to make homemade macaroni and cheese for quite a while, it’s one of my favorite things to try at restaurants. This creamy homemade macaroni and cheese recipe is made with only fresh ingredients, no processed cheese! I’m not going to lie, macaroni with velveeta cheese is still one of my favorites, but fancy macaroni and cheese is a great treat.

I really wanted to use white cheddar for this recipe, but couldn’t find any at the store that I went to. I used mild cheddar instead and it gave this dish a good, rich flavor. This recipe is a little time consuming, but it really is simple!

Chicken Bacon Macaroni and Cheese 6 servings

Needed:

• 2 cups macaroni
• 4-5 bacon strips
• 2 large chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 2 cups cheddar cheese (crumbled or shredded)
• pepper
• salt

Cook bacon. In another skillet, add a little olive oil and cook chicken. Also, put macaroni on to boil until soft. When chicken is done cooking, remove from the skillet (leaving any chicken/oil remnants in the pan for deglazing) and add butter to the skillet.

Melt butter over medium heat, then whisk in flour. Continue whisking for several minutes, until smooth and giving flour a chance to cook. Slowly add half-and-half while continuing to whisk, deglazing your pan.

Gently bring half-and-half to a bubble while stirring frequently, allowing cream to thicken.

Stir in the cheese (a handful at a time). Continue stirring until cheese has melted. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

Chop chicken and crumble bacon. Add chicken, bacon, and cooked pasta to your sauce. Stir until everything is well coated in cheese. Pour into a baking dish (or leave it in the skillet) and pop it in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes, just until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Like most pastas, this dish is best served right away (though we enjoyed the leftovers as well!). I’m thinking that this recipe would also be really good with the addition of mushrooms or peas! What extra ingredients do you like to add when you make macaroni and cheese?

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