Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe

A creamy comfort food classic elevated with a spicy buffalo chicken base! If you’re a mac and cheese lover, this is not to be missed!

Ingredients 

Baked Whole Chicken

• 4 pound chicken* whole
• 1 teaspoon 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

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Baked Chicken

1. Rub chicken with salt and spices, and place in a shallow baking dish.
2. Bake in the Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven on 425º F for  50 minutes on the BAKE/REHEAT setting.
3. 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.
4. Once chicken has cooled some, remove the chicken from the bones and shred into bite-sized pieces.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

1. Boil water and cook pasta per package instructions.
2. 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.
3. Add the buffalo chicken to the base of a 9×9 baking dish.
4. 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.
5. Add mustard powder and garlic to the broth, and stir until the broth has warmed.
6. Sprinkle the cheese with arrowroot, and stir to gently coat.
7. Add the cheese to the broth, and use a fork to mix it together well. “Whisk” the cheese until a very smooth and slightly thin cheese sauce as formed. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more broth to thin it out so it easily coats the pasta.
8. Pour the cheese sauce over the drained pasta, and mix to combine.
9. Add the pasta to the baking dish in a layer over the buffalo chicken.
10. Top the macaroni with a dusting of breadcrumbs.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Serve with carrots and celery, or sprinkle on blue cheese.

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%

Check out the full blog post on Sunkissed Kitchen.