Fiance and I have a thing for buffalo flavored anything. We both love anything spicy, and the obsession started with hot wings a few years back. I wanted a different way for us to have buffalo chicken and mac and cheese seems like a good avenue for it.
I used a weird shaped pasta for fun. I really wish I could remember what it was called so I could tell you. For the cheese, I used gouda (it’s crazy popular here in South Africa and it makes me happy!) cheddar, and creamy blue cheese.
Just so I could feel a little better about such a rich dish, I threw in plenty of broccoli. I also just love broccoli. I wish that I wouldn’t have waited until I was 22 to figure that out.
Apparently I was really distracted while making this, because I took almost no photos. Luckily, it’s easy to prepare, so not a big deal.
I boiled my pasta of choice until al dente, poached a few chicken breasts, and chopped up some broccoli and onion. Once the chicken was cooked through, I shredded it and tossed the broccoli, onion, pasta, and chicken together in a glass baking dish.
It went in the oven at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for about 15 minutes until it was all nice and melty and a little brown on top.
Better yet, it was incredibly filling. Another thing my local grocery store doesn’t carry: whole wheat pasta. I totally would have used whole wheat pasta if it were an option. I think I need to go stock up on some of the more specialty items at a bigger store.
I recommend this with a nice pale ale to combat the spicy.
Get the Recipe:
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta of choice
- One head of broccoli, rinsed and chopped into florets
- 1/2 onion, roughly diced
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 cup milk, ?
- 5 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- 3 oz gouda cheese, shredded
- 2 oz creamy blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup hot sauce, I recommend Frank’s
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease a large glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta.
- When pasta is done cooking, toss with broccoli and onion in baking dish.
- For the sauce, melt butter in the bottom of a medium sized pot. Once bubbling, add the flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until flour is lightly golden. Add the milk and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until mixture is thick. Add the cheese a little at a time and stir until melted. Once all the cheese has been incorporated, stir in the hot sauce, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Pour the sauce over the noodles and broccoli and make sure the pasta is well covered with sauce. Top with additional cheese if you desire.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and a little browned on top.
This came out great. It was one of the more simple recipes I have tried and definitely one of the better
Yay, that’s great!!!