Chicken Ranch Mac — When the Kitchen Is the Only Compass You Need

One week to March third. I am doing what I always do: I am cooking. The mac and cheese prep is done. The chicken is marinating in the refrigerator in a buttermilk brine that it will sit in until Tuesday, which is when it will be fried and served to the fifty-some people who come to Bernice's Table on the night that two years ago was the worst night of my life. Two years. The math is still strange. Two years sounds like a long time. It is not a long time. It is also, somehow, a long time. Both things continue to be true.

CJ called this week from Huntsville. He said he was thinking about March third and he wanted to know if I was okay and I said, "Calvin Junior, I am at the stove. That is my version of okay." He laughed. He said, "I know, Mama." He said he wished he could come down for Tuesday but work is demanding and he'll come next weekend instead. I said: come whenever. The table is there. I will cook when you arrive. He said, "Mama, you don't have to—" I said, "Baby, I want to. That's what want to sounds like in this family."

I have been reading back through my blog posts from the first year—the 2018 posts, the ones from the grief-dark months—and I am struck by two things: how dark it was, and how even in the dark the food was there, mentioned in every post even when I wasn't making it. The food was always there as the horizon. As the thing I was orienting toward even when I couldn't see it. As the true north that my hands knew even when my mind didn't. I think this is what Bernice always knew and what I have been learning slowly since March third: the kitchen is the compass. When you don't know where you are, go to the kitchen. Start something. The rest will come.

The mac and cheese I make for Bernice’s Table is a big-batch version built for a crowd, but the one I make for myself — the one I make when CJ calls and I need my hands to remember what they know — is this Chicken Ranch Mac Cheese: creamy, savory, done in one pot, and deeply forgiving of a distracted cook. It is the dish I come back to when I need the kitchen to do its work on me quietly, without fanfare. The ranch pulls it together the way Bernice always pulled everything together — with something that sounds simple but turns out to be exactly right.

Chicken Ranch Mac Cheese

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 packet (1 oz) ranch seasoning mix
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Season and cook the chicken. Toss chicken pieces with half the ranch seasoning packet. Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 6–8 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through and lightly golden. Transfer to a plate.
3. Build the roux. In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium. Melt butter, then whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute until the mixture is pale golden and smells nutty.
4. Make the sauce. Slowly pour in the milk and chicken broth, whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Stir in the remaining ranch seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5–7 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
5. Add the cheese. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar and Monterey Jack a handful at a time, letting each addition melt fully before adding the next. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
6. Combine and serve. Fold in the cooked macaroni and chicken until everything is evenly coated in the sauce. Return to low heat for 2–3 minutes if needed to warm through. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 720mg