Mature mac and cheese

BBQ Chicken Crusted Smoked Cheddar Mac

(from pickypalate.com)

• 1 lb mini farfalle pasta (use any pasta of choice)
• 5 Tablespoons butter
• 5 Tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 4 cups milk, I used 2%
• 5 cups shredded Tillamook smoked cheddar cheese (you could use any cheddar cheese)
• 2 cups shredded BBQ Chicken
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

2. Melt butter into a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute stirring. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Increase heat to medium high, stir continuously until liquid thickens and comes to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheddar cheese until smooth then add cooked pasta. Pour mixture into a large baking dish then top evenly with BBQ chicken. Sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

3. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

The kids loved this! Not the chicken part as much, because they don't like bbq chicken flavor, so I only put chicken on half of it. This makes a huge 13x9 pan so next time I'll halve it for my family.