Photo: Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
- 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.
Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.
Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Photograph by Con Poulos
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By denisek68
on March 19, 2013
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Very Tasty!A bit more of a project than I expected,but worth it,I subbed the blue cheese with parm (no one in my Family likes blue cheese worked great!I didn't use the full amount of cheddar or pepper jack...good thing cause it would have overflowed my baking dish!I will make this dish again!
By tlittlejohn_120...
anderson, 80
on March 12, 2013
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This recipe was not that good. Prepared as directed. It was really dry and even dryer the next day.
By gambles_1336040
Miami, FL
on March 12, 2013
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I agree with most of the reviews I read. (16 pages One confusion: I thought it meant Buffalo Sauce, but my mother assumed it was hot sauce. She was correct. I made it with the exact amount of hot sauce (Footy's I did layer it as instructed, but I put it in 2 casseroles since there were several reviews stating that it freezes well. I did find it a little dry. Even so, it was delicious. I did sprinkle some extra blue cheese on the chicken layer. I also used a knife to poke holes so the cheese sauce would go down to the macaroni since so many people commented that the bottom layer was dry. Though the taste is great, I still gave it 4 stars since it simply isn't creamy. If it was called Buffalo Chicken Casserole instead of having Mac n Cheese in the title, I doubt I would have thought twice about the consistency of the saucy! If you call something Mac n Cheese, it needs to be gooey and creamy!
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