Cheddar Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

     I don't know where this recipe originally came from, or who came up with it, but they deserve a hardcore pat on the back. Ooey gooey, warm, cheesiness, with a just a hint of tang from the Ranch, the moist and tender chicken, and the bacon.. My God, who can forget about the bacon?!? UGH! This is the ultimate comfort food for a cold winter's night. I urge you to give this a try. Really. Go! Try it! Just be sure to come on back here and tell me what you think!

 You Will Need:

• 1) 1lb box whole wheat penne pasta (you can use regular white pasta too, if you'd like)
• 6 slices of bacon, or turkey bacon (tho my old man insists I use more next time.)
• 1/2 Tbsp light butter, (I used regular old butter)
• 2 good sized chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 to 3/4 package of dry Ranch mix
• 1 cup skim milk
• 3/4 to 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (to your liking, I used a whole cup)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook your pasta according to the directions on the box.
2. In a large skillet, cook your bacon until it is nice and crispy. Remove to a paper towel to soak up some of that grease. Remove all BUT 1 Tbsp of the bacon drippings from your pan.
3. Add your butter into the pan with the bacon dripping and once melted, throw your chicken in with it. Let it cook over medium low heat until the chicken is done.
4. While the chicken is cooking, crumble your bacon into pieces. I just bust out my trusty kitchen scissors and hack it into little pieces. Set it aside for now. Seriously, BACK AWAY FROM THE BACON! Do not eat it yet. Good things come to those who wait. In this case, bacony goodness, comes to those who wait.
5. Sprinkle your garlic powder, flour and Ranch seasoning over the chicken and toss it around to coat evenly.
6. Stir in the milk, giving it a good stir. Let this continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and bubbly. This took about 5 minutes for me.
7. Stir in your cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese and 3/4 of the bacon. Cook and stir for another minute or two, just until the cheese is totally melted. Sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper and give it one more good mixing. 
8. Serve it up, top each serving with the remaining bacon. Now sit back and wait for the "holy fucking yum!"s to commence. But hopefully not from your kiddies. Cuz that's never good.