Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

BUFFALO CHICKEN MAC & CHEESE

3/3/2018

It's going to be a hot time in the city tonight! If your family is as crazy about Buffalo Chicken Dip as mine is, they are going to go absolutely NUTS for this homemade Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese!

It's everything you've ever dreamed of in macaroni and cheese - tender pasta and chicken, a creamy cheese sauce loaded with sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese, along with hot sauce and the perfect seasonings, topped with a flavorful buttery crumb topping - and if you're game enough, sprinkled with crumbled blue cheese. What's not to love?

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

From start to finish, you'll have this baking and bubbling in your oven in less than 30 minutes. That's what I call wonderful! And for something that is as crowd-pleasing as this hot and cheese macaroni and cheese, it's pretty amazing!

My family loves everything macaroni and cheese, but this one stands out as one of their favorites!

If by chance you have any leftover, heat in the microwave with a splash of half & half or milk, just to keep it creamy when it reheats.

And if you love your buffalo chicken REALLY hot and spicy, add another 1/4 cup of hot sauce to the cheese sauce when you're making it, or serve the hot casserole with a bottle of hot sauce on the side so that folks can drizzle extra on their individual servings.

It's all good! And whether you're making this for a football party or family dinner, you are going to LOVE this!

Snowflakes & Coffeecakes Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

BUFFALO CHICKEN
MAC & CHEESE

If your family is as crazy about Buffalo Chicken Dip as mine is, they are going to go absolutely NUTS for this homemade Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese! It's everything you've ever dreamed of in macaroni and cheese - tender pasta and chicken, a creamy cheese sauce loaded with sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese, along with hot sauce and the perfect seasonings, topped with a flavorful buttery crumb topping - and if you're game enough, sprinkled with crumbled blue cheese.

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup butter (8 tablespoons - divided)
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 pkg. (1 oz.) Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
¼ cup flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
3 cups half & half
16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese (shredded, about 4 cups)
8 oz. pepper jack cheese (shredded)
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup crushed corn flakes or panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)

HOW I MAKE THIS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add chicken and hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, ranch seasoning mix, and mustard until smooth. Whisk in the half & half, and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses. Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream until smooth.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente, about 7 minutes.
Combine drained hot pasta, the chicken mixture, and cheese sauce and gently toss to combine. Pour into prepared dish.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and mix with crushed corn flakes or panko crumbs and smoked paprika. Sprinkle on top of the macaroni and cheese.
Bake until lightly golden and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles (optional). Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

YIELD: 8-10 servings

© SnowflakesandCoffeecakes. All images, attachments & content are copyright protected. All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to www.snowflakesandcoffeecakes.com for the recipe.