A fantastic combination. Rich, creamy macaroni and cheese combined with bacon wrapped chicken is sure to light up the eyes of even the pickiest eaters! You won’t regret this one!

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes

Note: This is how I made it the first time. It was wonderful, but I saw room for improvement. Several people who ate it commented on wanting the recipe, so I chose to post it as I had originally made it. Before you make this dish, please see the notes following the recipe for my suggestions.

What you will need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 egg
• 16 oz macaroni
• 14 oz Velveeta cheese
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 c parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 c milk
• 1/4 c butter
• 1 T flour
• 1 t Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 t dry mustard
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Boil noodles until al dente. While noodles are cooking, cut the Velveeta and cream cheese into small chunks.
3. When noodles are done, strain and set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt butter on medium-low heat. Add flour to make a paste.
5. Add milk and bring to a boil on medium-high heat.
6. Reduce heat and add velveeta and cream cheese. Once cheese is melted, add Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, salt, and pepper.
7. When sauce has reached a medium-thick consistency (you may have to add more milk to get the consistency you prefer), remove from heat.
8. Beat egg in a large mixing bowl. Once noodles are cool (run them under cold water to speed the process), add them to the bowl with the egg and stir thoroughly.
9. Add cheese sauce and stir until combined.
10. Pour mixture into a 13×9 greased glass pan. Set aside.
11. Trim excess fat off of chicken breasts.
12. Cut bacon slices in half. Place two halves side-by-side atop each chicken breast and secure with toothpicks (Make sure you put the toothpick through the meat of the bacon vice the fat. While cooking, the fat will rip around the toothpick causing the bacon to not remain flat.)
13. Place chicken atop the macaroni and cheese mixture.
14. Sprinkle parmesan over the top.
15. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until juices run clear when you cut the chicken breast.

Notes:

1. When I made it, the cheese mixture would not smooth out completely. The cheese would not melt all the way and it was a bit clumpy. I increased the heat, but the cheese started to burn. I poured the cheese mixture into a mixing bowl and wisped it for a minute or two before I poured it over the macaroni/egg mixture.
2. The cheese sauce was not as creamy as I would have liked. I contribute this to the time necessary to completely cook the chicken. Next time I am going to put the chicken/bacon in the oven just after I pour the uncooked noodles into the boiling water. I think 20 minutes should do the trick. Then, put the partially cooked chicken on the noodle/cheese mixture and top with the parmesan cheese and bake for 40 minutes or until chicken is done. Might have to play with the chicken cook time some.
3. While I got many compliments on this dish, I thought it could use a bit more flavor. I suggest you add the following. I will the next time I make it and I will post the results.
   • Either 1 T onion powder or 1/4 c minced white onion
   • Either 1/4 t ground cayenne pepper or 1/2 t Cajun seasoning
   • 1/4 to 1/2 t paprika
   • 1/4 t garlic powder
4. If you pre-cook the chicken and decide to use Cajun seasoning, I suggest you put the Cajun on top of the chicken before you pre-cook.

Like I said, I got many compliments on the dish as I originally made it. These are just suggestions. If you try them before I do, PLEASE come back and comment to let me know what you did! If you enjoy it as I originally made it, let me know that, too! I hope you enjoy!