Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese is an highly addicting blend of cheeses with a touch of heat.
I can honestly say that I had never eaten anything resembling Buffalo Chicken until I met Keith. Now I cannot imagine a party without a Buffalo-flavored something: chicken sandwiches, Keith’s infamous dip, or one of our newly crowned favorites, Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese.
The New Yorker in me was skeptical about this concoction that Keith felt so passionately about. Both he and the kids could not stop talking about this current local obsession that was showing its face at every picnic and graduation party we went to last summer. But I am a purist. Why mess with a good thing? Mac & Cheese should be just that: macaroni and cheese. It wasn’t until football season began that I noticed Keith experimenting in the kitchen, determined to create a version of this dish that I would embrace.
Super Bowl season seemed like a fitting time to share the Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese recipe that has become a go-to for us all season long. I am not only a convert, but a true devotee. This stuff is positively addicting. The Buffalo flavor actually compliments Keith’s creamy cheese sauce, making this a dish that I crave. Ditali shaped pasta holds the flavors well and makes for a great bite. This is sure to be a favorite at our house this Sunday and for many more parties to come.
- 12 ounces Ditali pasta, uncooked
- 8 ounces chicken, cooked and shredded
- 6 ounces low-fat cream cheese
- 6 ounces cheddar/ jack cheese shredded
- 6 ounces hot sauce (this can be varied to taste)
- 8 tbsp. butter (split)
- 4 tbsp. flour
- 1 C whole milk
- ½ C ranch dressing
- 1 tbsp. celery seed
- 1 C Panko bread crumbs
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- In a large stock pot, boil water and cook pasta until al dente
- Drain pasta, reserving 2 C of the water.
- In the same sauce pan, add 4 tbsp butter and melt over medium heat. Add flour and combine.
- Add reserved pasta water and milk and cook over medium heat until thickened.
- Add cheeses, ranch dressing and celery seed.
- Add cooked pasta and stir until combined.
- Add shredded chicken and hot sauce and continue to cook over low heat until desired thickness (If consistency is too thick add a little more milk).
- Transfer to oven-safe dish sprayed with cooking spray.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs with melted 4 tbsp. butter.
- Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over mac and cheese and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and enjoy
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