Iron Chef Michael Symon’s Goat Cheese Mac and Cheese with Roasted Chicken and Roasted Garlic

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. I use about 3 T. salt for a large pot of water. Preheat oven to 400º to roast garlic, and when preheated, roast garlic for approximately 1 hour.
2. While the water is coming to a boil, put the cream/milk mixture, chopped rosemary, a large pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring just barely to a boil, then reduce heat to low, till you bring the cream to a simmer. Reduce the amount of liquid by half. This could take up to half an hour.
3. Once the cream/milk is reduced, add the chicken (and the roasted garlic, if using) to the cream and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Continue cooking till the liquid coats the back of a spoon, possibly up to another 30 minutes, depending on how much milk to cream you've used.
4. Cut the chicken skin into small pieces. Place in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Render fat until chicken skin is browned and crispy. Set aside.
5. Add the pasta to the boiling water and boil about 1 minute less than the package directions. (You want the pasta to absorb the creamy cheese sauce as it finishes cooking.) Drain the pasta, and add it to the sauce.
6. Add goat cheese to the pot. Toss the pasta to combine it with the sauce, and bring it just back to the simmer. Adjust seasoning to taste. Sprinkle each dish with the "chicken bacon" and a tiny bit of chopped fresh rosemary.