Baked Macaroni Cheese & Chicken Casserole

Baked Macaroni, Cheese & Chicken Casserole

recipe credit: Jackie Cruze

Ingredients:

2 cups elbow macaroni

¼ cup butter or margarine

¼ cup unsifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup cooked chicken; shredded or chopped

seasoned bread crumbs (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. In a large saucepan over high heat, bring 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add macaroni; stir to separate. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Drain macaroni.

Meanwhile, in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, the dry mustard and pepper. When mixture is smooth, gradually add the milk, stirring until no lumps of flour remain.

Return saucepan to heat and cook milk mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and thickens slightly. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 minute longer.

Stir 1 ½ cups of the grated Cheddar cheese, the drained cooked macaroni and the cooked chicken into the milk mixture. Pour into a shallow 2 quart round or oval baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining grated Cheddar cheese over the top of the macaroni mixture. Optional: Sprinkle seasoned bread crumbs on top.

Bake 20 minutes or until the macaroni is hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly.