No one wants to spend half of the night cooking, only to turn around and spend the rest of the night cleaning up! That’s why I love this dish. It dirties only one pot and is on the table before your little ones can start complaining about their rumbly tummies—it only takes 20 minutes to make, from start to finish.
The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are: uncooked rigatoni pasta, Progresso chicken broth, cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce, cilantro, red onion, garlic, crumbled bacon, shredded cooked chicken (I like to use rotisserie to save time) and some olive oil for heating the skillet.
First, heat the oil in a deep 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, bacon, ¼ cup of onion and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pasta and chicken broth next.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, making sure to give everything a stir every few minutes or so, until the pasta is tender.
When the pasta is cooked, add all of the cheese and ¼ cup of the barbecue sauce and stir for about a minute or until the cheese is completely melted. The extra liquid in the skillet will thicken up just a bit and get a nice creamy texture from the melted cheese.