Spicy Chicken and Bacon Mac

We had a birthday party to go to today and this recipe popped up in Flipboard this morning. I figured I would give it a try. It turned out excellent, spicy and creamy with some smoke flavor to it from the chicken I used. If you need to make a dish for a potluck, this one is a good one. I modified the original recipe to make a double size, the original seemed really small for a potluck.

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked cavatappi pasta or elbow macaroni
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups (8 oz) shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup crushed kettle-cooked potato chips or panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente; drain. Preheat broiler.
2. In a 10-inch cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, heat butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until blended; cook and stir until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes (do not burn). Gradually whisk in cream, milk, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; cook and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cheese until melted. Add pasta, chicken, bacon and jalapeno; cook and stir until heated through. Sprinkle chips over top.
3. Broil 3-4 inches from heat until chips are browned, about 30 seconds.
4. If you are taking this somewhere, hold off on the chips until you get there, they might get soggy if they sit.
5. Original recipe: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/spicy-chicken-and-bacon-mac/