Buffalo Mac and Cheese | Diethood
This buffalo mac and cheese recipe places a daring, spicy spin on traditional consolation meals! It’s full of wealthy, tangy buffalo scorching sauce, juicy shredded hen, and three sorts of cheese, baked till it’s scorching and bubbly.
Lovers of spicy buffalo hen and buffalo hen pasta, put together to satisfy the macaroni and cheese of your desires!
Between my Buffalo hen and rice casserole and stovetop dip, it’s secure to say I’m not-so-mildly obsessive about buffalo scorching sauce. So, it was solely a matter of time earlier than I labored it into one other one in all my favourite consolation meals meals: macaroni and cheese! This buffalo mac and cheese is every thing I imagined it might be. Tacky (that a lot is a given), saucy, full of juicy bites of hen, and simply spicy sufficient to get the tastebuds tingling.
Why I Love This Buffalo Hen Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Daring buffalo taste. Buffalo scorching sauce brings tons of taste to this recipe. I really like that the tangy warmth of the buffalo sauce will get tempered completely by a beneficiant quantity of melted cheese. In fact, be at liberty to make use of a gentle buffalo sauce if you happen to’re delicate to spice.
- Baked within the oven. I really like baked mac and cheese. The within turns into gooey and bubbly whereas the cheese on high will get all toasty and golden. Drool. Nonetheless, it’s additionally effective to skip the baking step if you happen to’re quick on time. Your buffalo mac and cheese will nonetheless end up scrumptious!
- Fast to prep. Did I point out that this mac and cheese wants solely 10 minutes of prep earlier than you pop it into the oven? Take into account this your signal to make it ASAP!
Components You’ll Want
These are the components that go into this do-it-yourself buffalo mac and cheese, plus some notes and substitutions (if you happen to want them). Scroll to the recipe card under the put up for the printable components listing and recipe directions. I’ve additionally included a photograph step-by-step under the recipe card that walks you thru methods to make it!
- Hen Breasts – Boneless, skinless hen breasts (or thighs) are best to shred. You might additionally use leftover baked hen breasts or a store-bought or air fryer rotisserie hen.
- Seasoning – Olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper to coat the hen.
- Elbow Macaroni – The perfect pasta dishes rely on the standard of your pasta. I like to recommend slow-dried semolina pasta constructed from 100% durum wheat.
- Butter, Flour, and Milk – You’ll mix these components to make béchamel, which is the bottom for the cheese sauce in mac and cheese recipes. I exploit unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, and complete milk (you need to use any form of milk you’d like).
- Cheese – I like a mixture of melty cheddar and Monterey Jack in my mac and cheese. For an additional kick, you might additionally use Pepper Jack. Make sure you grate the cheese recent in order that it melts easily.
- Buffalo Sauce – Select your favourite model from the shop, like Frank’s Purple Sizzling. Or, borrow the do-it-yourself Buffalo sauce from my air fryer buffalo cauliflower recipe.
- Gorgonzola Cheese – I can’t resist including a sprinkle of tangy, funky crumbled blue cheese to this buffalo macaroni and cheese. The mix all the time jogs my memory of buffalo hen wings dipped in blue cheese sauce!
Ideas and Variations
- Use high quality pasta. The higher the pasta, the higher your pasta dinners might be!
- Not a fan of blue cheese? As an alternative of topping this mac and cheese with gorgonzola, drizzle the highest with ranch dressing earlier than serving.
- Save the pasta water. Earlier than you drain the boiled macaroni noodles, put aside a few cup of the starchy pasta water, simply in case. This manner, if the cheese sauce is just too thick afterward, you’ll be able to add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water (or extra if wanted) to get it to the best consistency. The starches additionally assist emulsify the sauce.
- Verify the hen for doneness. When cooking the hen breast on this recipe, verify that the hen is cooked by way of by taking the inner temperature utilizing an instant-read thermometer. It’s achieved when it hits 165ºF.
- Completely different protein. Change shredded hen with pulled pork or shredded or floor beef. Go away the meat out altogether to make a vegetarian buffalo mac and cheese.
- Add-ins. Stir in cooked crumbled bacon, diced jalapeños, or veggies, like onions, bell peppers, or chopped steamed broccoli.
Serving Recommendations
My favourite solution to serve this baked buffalo mac and cheese is with a facet of one thing recent, like an avocado salad or inexperienced bean salad. Italian grissini breadsticks additionally make a pleasant, gentle bread facet, and I really like this baked battered shrimp as a starter.
In any other case, if we’re craving consolation, I’ll make a batch of air fryer potato wedges or corn ribs whereas the mac and cheese is within the oven. These additionally make nice sides each time I make this buffalo mac and cheese for a soccer or sport day celebration!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Retailer this buffalo mac and cheese coated within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
- Reheat. I like to recommend reheating leftovers in a 350ºF oven for 20 minutes or so, or till the mac and cheese is scorching all through. Or, reheat parts within the microwave in 30-second increments.
- Freeze. You can even freeze this mac and cheese for as much as 3 months. Thaw it within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating.
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Prep the hen. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the hen between two items of plastic wrap and pound it with a meat mallet to a good thickness.
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Add seasonings. Brush the hen with olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon paprika, salt, and pepper to style.
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Bake the hen. Switch the hen to a baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or till cooked by way of. The inside temperature of the hen ought to attain 165˚F. Set the cooked hen apart to chill. As soon as cooled, shred it by utilizing two forks or a meat shredder. Be aware: You’ll be able to skip this step if in case you have cooked or rotisserie hen leftovers.
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Cook dinner the macaroni. Carry a big pot of salted water to a boil. Cook dinner the macaroni in line with the bundle instructions. As soon as cooked, drain and put aside.
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Make a roux. Soften the butter in a big saucepan set over medium-high warmth. Add the flour and cook dinner, stirring for 1-2 minutes or till golden. Pour within the milk, whisking consistently, till the sauce is thickened, for five minutes. Season to style with salt and pepper.
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Add cheese. Stir half of the cheddar and half of the Monterey Jack cheese into the sauce till melted and mixed.
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Mix. Stir within the buffalo sauce and the cooked macaroni. Lastly, combine within the shredded hen.
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Prep for baking. Decrease the oven temperature to 350ºF. Frivolously grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
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Fill the pan. Add the macaroni combination to the baking dish, topping with the remaining cheddar, Monterey jack cheese, and crumbled gorgonzola cheese.
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Bake. Bake for 20 minutes or till the cheese is golden and bubbly.
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Serve. Take away the mac and cheese from the oven and let it relaxation for five minutes earlier than serving.
- All the time use high quality pasta for the very best outcomes.
- Use pepper jack cheese as a substitute of Monterey jack cheese for a further kick of warmth.
- In case your sauce is just too thick, add ¼ cup of pasta water to skinny it out to a desired consistency.
- Various stovetop technique: This recipe can be made with out baking. Mix all three forms of cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, gorgonzola), hen, and pasta into the ready sauce, stirring till the cheese is melted and the hen is warmed by way of. Function desired.
Serving: 1.5cups | Energy: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 27g | Fats: 19g | Saturated Fats: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5g | Trans Fats: 0.2g | Ldl cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 932mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 543IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 305mg | Iron: 1mg
Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could differ in line with the components and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
Methods to Make Buffalo Mac and Cheese
Observe the steps under to have this buffalo hen mac and cheese assembled and within the oven in literal minutes. And if you happen to don’t really feel like baking it, I’ve included simple stovetop instructions afterward.
- Prep the hen. Begin by pounding the hen breasts to a good thickness between two items of plastic wrap, the identical as you’ll for hen paillard. Then, rub the hen with olive oil and season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Cook dinner the hen. Cook dinner the hen breasts utilizing your most popular technique. I often bake them within the oven at 450ºF for 15-20 minutes. You can even cook dinner the hen following my stovetop, Prompt Pot, or air fryer strategies.
- Shred. As soon as the hen is cooked and cooled, use two forks or a set of shredding claws to shred it.
- Cook dinner the pasta. Subsequent, boil the macaroni in a pot of salted water. When it’s al dente, drain and set the pasta apart (don’t overlook to avoid wasting pasta water!).
- Make a roux. In the meantime, mix flour with melted butter in a saucepot. Let the flour cook dinner and brown for 1-2 minutes, then whisk within the milk to make a roux.
- Put all of it collectively. As soon as the roux thickens, soften within the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Add the buffalo sauce and cooked macaroni, and at last, stir within the shredded hen.
- Bake. Switch the mac and cheese to a greased 9×13” baking dish. Sprinkle over the remaining shredded cheese and crumble over the gorgonzola. Then, bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes till golden and bubbly.
Stovetop Technique
You may make this buffalo mac and cheese with out the oven, too. To skip the baking step, merely mix the topping cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, and gorgonzola) with the shredded hen and pasta within the ready buffalo cheese sauce. Stir till every thing is melted and warmed by way of, and serve instantly.
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