Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Buffalo sauce holds a special place in my cooking journey. I use it to make wraps, liven up sauces, and even as an extra ingredient in sandwiches. Before my time of topping enlightenment, it played a key role in every pasta sauce I made. Even though I don’t religiously add it to every recipe now, it is still a valuable ingredient in my pantry. Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese deserves its place of honor here and I hope I did it justice.
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Drawing inspiration from my pulled pork mac and cheese recipe, this sauce mirrors it in a lot of ways. You could easily make a giant pot of pasta and customize it to your guest’s preferences. Both feature a cheddar parmesan sauce with their respective sauces stirred in for a little kick. You can use any buffalo sauce you’d like. Our favorites are Sweet Baby Ray’s and Frank’s Red Hot. Aim for something with a little bit of spice and a ton of flavor.
We had leftover pulled chicken that I used for the topping, but you have so many options here. This would be great with grilled chicken seasoned with Buffalo Ranch Seasoning. Or some chopped frozen chicken strips.
I chose to keep my toppings pretty basic in my buffalo chicken mac and cheese, but the sky is the limit here. If you’re a blue cheese fan, crumbles atop this dish would be a great addition. We were out of green onions or I would have used it as well. Crispy onion strings would be amazing here. Extra parmesan shreds would be a nice balance to the spicy buffalo sauce.
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz Pasta
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 3 cups Whole Milk
- 1 tablespoon Buffalo Sauce
- 1 cup grated Extra Sharp Cheddar
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
Toppings
- Cooked Chicken
- Buffalo Sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
Prepare the sauce
- Pre heat your milk in the microwave for 45 seconds – just enough to take the chill out of it.
- Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and let it heat until it becomes foamy.
- Mix in flour. Cook it for a minute while stirring constantly
- Slowly add warmed milk to the butter mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Whisk it continually until combined.
- Once all of the milk is added, cook for a few minutes while whisking it. Do not let it boil. You will feel the sauce start to thicken. It’s ready for cheese when you rub a small amount between your fingers and it feels silky.
- Remove from heat and stir in your cheese until it’s melted and mixed into the sauce. Add about a tablespoon of buffalo sauce to the cheese mixture.
- Once the cheese is incorporated, use a cooked noodle to taste your sauce. If it doesn’t taste cheesy enough try adding a little more salt to bring out the flavor. You can add more buffalo sauce here if you need to.
- Combine the pasta and sauce. Top with chicken and a drizzle of more buffalo sauce.