Most nights I have some idea of what I want to cook for dinner. Chicken, veggies, and potatoes is pretty standard in our house. This past Friday, I was not sure what sounded good for dinner. I had ideas of making mini burgers and buffalo chicken sliders. It had sounded good but not quite what I wanted. A box of mac and cheese was found in the pantry. Then the great idea of adding the buffalo chicken to the mac and cheese happened. Boom, that would be dinner. Typical of me, I did not write down how I made it. I’m not really one to measure things out.
So fast forward to Monday night. After weeding and mulching the front gardens. I was asked ‘What’s for dinner?’ Buffalo Chicken macaroni and cheese won out again. This time, I decided to measure out and write down how I made it. I hope you enjoy this recipe and feel free to make it healthier but using low-fat cheese or milk, even coconut oil instead of butter. But if you want the traditional, delicious Buffalo Sauce flavor, follow the recipe 😉
Enjoy!
xox Alicia
Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese
4-6 Servings – 10 min. prep – 30 min. cook time
Ingredients
For Buffalo Sauce
Butter | 2 TBSP
Frank’s Red Hot | 1/2 cup
Garlic powder | ½ TBSP
Ranch Dressing | 1 TBSP
For Cheese sauce
Butter | 2 TBSP
Flour | 1 TBSP
Shredded cheddar | 1 ½ cups
Milk | ¼ cup
Chicken breast | 1-2 pieces
Oil | ~2 TBSP for cooking
Pasta (elbows or shells) | 1 box
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Fill up pot with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, 12-15 minutes
- Cut up chicken breast into small cubes. Drizzle oil into pan, add chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook all the way through
- For the Buffalo Sauce- Add butter, Frank’s Red Hot and garlic powder to a small pot. Put it on low-simmer. Stir until butter is melted and it combines with the other ingredients. Then add the ranch dressing
- Combine chicken and Buffalo sauce together
- For the cheese sauce, in a separate saucepan, melt the butter. Add flour and whisk until combined to make a roux. Slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the shredded cheddar to the mixture, continually stirring until a smooth creamy sauce has formed.
- Drain the pasta. Put back into the pot, add the cheese sauce and combine.
- Add the buffalo chicken mixture to the pasta, stirring to combine
Special Diet Information- For a healthier version of this, you can use coconut oil instead of butter; choose a fat free or 1% milk; or choose a whole wheat pasta.
The Wooden Spoon 