buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese

Who loves Buffalo Wings? ME, ME! I DO, I DO!

Who loves Mac n’ Cheese? ME, ME! I DO, I DO!

If you listen closely right now, you may hear the sound of harps playing softly in the distance… ahhhh, ah, ahhhhh, ah, ahhhh, ah…

I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I grew up in Upstate NY, the mecca of all things Buffalo wing. Then I went away to college in North Central PA and spent many a happy hour in a dark, hole-in-the-wall bar, downing ice cold pitchers of Yuengling and 10¢ wings until I wished I’d worn elastic waist pants. Ah, those were the days.

Alas, I can’t get Yuengling here in AZ. And I’ve yet to find a go-to spot that can touch the old local haunt when it comes to cheap delicious wings. Guess I’ll just have to settle for this f’ing amazing mac n’ cheese paired with a frosty mug of apple juice.

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
(makes 6 – 8 servings)
2 cups cubed chicken breast
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tbsp olive oil
16 oz penne pasta (cooked to al dente, drained but NOT rinsed)
3/4 cup Frank’s Wing Sauce
4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp mustard powder
2 1/2 cups whole milk
12 oz Colby Jack cheese (shredded)
2/3 cup sour cream
Topping:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the cubed chicken and garlic and saute until the chicken is just cooked through. Add the cooked pasta and wing sauce and toss to evenly coat. Transfer the chicken and pasta to a large casserole dish and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter then add the flour, pepper and mustard powder and whisk to combine. Cook for around 5 minutes, whisking constantly, then slowly pour in the milk. Whisk until very smooth, bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to medium low, then simmer for around 5 minutes. Add in the shredded cheese and stir to melt, then add in the sour cream and stir to combine completely. Pour this mixture over the wing-sauced chicken and pasta.

In a small bowl, combine the 2 tbsp olive oil, Panko and crumbled blue cheese. Sprinkle this  mixture over the top of the mac n’ cheese, then bake (uncovered) in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until the bread crumbs are a nice golden brown and the cheesy, spicy perfection is bubbling like hot molten lava…

This is rich. This is creamy. This is spicy. This is dreamy. (Cue the harps…)

Who wants to eat this right now?

ME, ME! I DO, I DO!

OMFG. SO GOOD.