Sunkissed Kitchen thought it was time to bring you some real comfort food this winter in a sea of salads! Baked mac and cheese with a surprise layer of buffalo chicken — now that is a meal that we can totally get behind any day of the week. The combo of spicy and creamy is truly out of this world! This recipe is kept gluten-free using gluten-free pasta and then blended brown rice crackers for a crunchy, golden brown topping.
However, if you do not wish to have the gluten-free element in the recipe, feel free to use traditional pasta and flower instead of arrowroot. Our Sharp Chef Michelle used a combination of Sharp appliances to create this tasty dish. The Sharp Induction Cooktop was a great tool when making the delicate cheese sauces, and the Superheated Steam Countertop Oven was an excellent tool to bake the casserole in only 12 minutes! This recipe is a creamy comfort food classic elevated with a spicy buffalo chicken base! If you’re a mac and cheese lover like we are, this is not to be missed!
Ingredients
Baked Whole Chicken
- 4-pound chicken* whole
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sage
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- black pepper to taste
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- 1 pound macaroni noodles gluten-free, if necessary
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing hot sauce
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs gluten-free (brown rice crackers, blended into a flour)
White Cheddar Cheese Sauce
- 2/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 4 cups aged white cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot
Instructions
Baked Chicken
- Rub chicken with salt and spices, and place in a shallow baking dish.
- Bake in the Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven on 425º F for 50 minutes on the BAKE/REHEAT setting.
- If baking in a conventional oven, preheat the oven to 425º F. Cover the chicken and baking dish with foil tightly and bake for 1 hour. Uncover, and bake for another 30 minutes to brown.
- Once the chicken has cooled some, remove the chicken from the bones and shred it into bite-sized pieces.
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Boil water and cook pasta per package instructions.
- Prepare the buffalo chicken by melting butter in a frying pan and then adding the hot sauce. Add the shredded chicken and mix to coat.
- Add the buffalo chicken to the base of a 9×9 baking dish.
- Prepare cheese sauce by adding the broth to a saucepan over low heat. Set the Sharp Induction Cooktop to level 1 for the simmer enhancer feature. If using a standard cooktop, turn on the lowest setting.
- Add mustard powder and garlic to the broth, and stir until the broth has warmed.
- Sprinkle the cheese with arrowroot, and stir to coat gently.
- Add the cheese to the broth, and use a fork to mix it well. “Whisk” the cheese until a very smooth and slightly thin cheese sauce is formed. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more broth to thin it out, so it easily coats the pasta.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the drained pasta, and mix to combine.
- Add the pasta to the baking dish in a layer over the buffalo chicken.
- Top the macaroni with a dusting of breadcrumbs.
- Bake in the Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven for 15 minutes on the Broil/Grill function at 450º F until the breadcrumbs are toasted and the casserole is heated throughout.
- If baking in a conventional oven, preheat the oven to bake at 425º F, then bake for 20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Serve with carrots and celery, or sprinkle on blue cheese.
Recipe Notes
*Save time by using a precooked chicken.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 484kcal
Nutrition
Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 12.2% | Vitamin C: 1.8% | Calcium: 43.2% | Iron: 8.3%
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