Buffalo Chicken Mac-N-Cheese

Cluich's Note:

Buffalo chicken meets mac-n-cheese. How can you possibly go wrong? I threw this together for the end-of-the-year potluck lunch at the high school where I teach, and it went over really well. Addendum: Like the first two reviewers, I also used Ken's. Worked great! However, I have to disagree with one reviewer about the celery. I've made this with and without the celery, and its inclusion really makes a world of difference in terms of texture.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb elbow macaroni , uncooked (preferrably the large variety)
• 24 ounces chicken breasts , cooked and shredded
• 2 ½ cups low-fat milk
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese , shredded
• 8 ounces buffalo wing sauce
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup celery , chopped
• hot sauce , to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the macaroni in a pot of boiling salted water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, whisk the milk and flour together in a bowl, then pour into a saucepan, bringing it to a boil, stirring constantly.
3. Reduce heat to medium and stir in chicken, cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, buffalo sauce and hot sauce (if you're using it). Cook until the cheese melts.
4. When the pasta is done, drain it and stir in the cheese mixture and the celery.

Reviews

[carlamoose]

Yum yum yum! I too used Ken's Wing Sauce. Truthfully, IDK what other wing sauces are out there besides Ken's, so it's hard to say if brand matters. I hate celery, so I used chopped bell peppers to give it that crunch. If you don't have cooked chicken breast, you could prob use canned chicken in a pinch. Works for dip, why not this? Next time I would prob serve with blue cheese on top.

[Kierstein]

i just finished making this and its great.. but in the recipe you never actually mention when to put in the chicken? lol i added cream cheese along with cheddar so it wouldnt be as hot.

[Zanni]

Very good! I used whole wheat rotini, 2 large chicken breasts, and cut down on the wing sauce a little, and used and 8oz block of sharp cheddar cheese. I also left out the celery do to personal taste. The sauce came together very quickly, I'm used to making a roux for my mac and cheese and this was much easier. I baked this for about 20 mins at 350 just to help the pasta soak up the flavor longer. I used Ken's brand buffalo wing sauce and it was very good, not too spicy.