Who doesn’t love Mac n’ Cheese? With your choice of your favorite melty cheeses over tender pasta that’s done in no time, it’s a classic for a reason, and I would even say it’s possibly the ultimate comfort food. Such versatility practically begs to be experimented with, bringing new flavors to a classic dish. So, for fans of a little more kick who want to enjoy a cheesy classic, we have a spicy Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe that begs to be eaten! It’s everything you love about gooey mac with the spicy and tangy goodness of your favorite buffalo chicken all in one.
The secret to a great Mac n’ Cheese comes, of course, from the cheese sauce that ties everything together. We used a blend of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese for ours for a simple but classically delicious cheesy sauce that’s perfect for a little extra flavor the buffalo will add later. If you’ve never made a homemade cheese sauce before, the most important thing to remember is to take your time with it, otherwise it’s incredibly simple and homemade always tastes better than buying a premade sauce. Take your time to add the milk and cheese in batches, stirring and letting everything melt before adding more, this way you’ll get a smooth and creamy sauce without any unevenly mixed cheese. And most importantly, use cheese you’ve shredded yourself so it melts and mixes properly, pre-shredded cheese tends to melt into stringy strands rather than fully incorporating into a smooth sauce.
And speaking of sauce, what sets this recipe apart from the classic Mac is the addition of some hot sauce into the cheese for that spicy kick you came here for. We used Frank’s Red Hot, it’s a classic hot sauce you can find anywhere, but if you have a favorite sauce to bring the heat, throw it in and I’m sure it’ll be a great addition.
And no buffalo chicken recipe is complete without the chicken of course. We used the cooked meat from a whole Halal chicken from Midamar that we had ahead of time, so this is a great recipe to make if you want to put some leftovers to good use too. Other chicken would work great as well, if you quickly cook some chicken breast or thigh in a pan and shred it, it will mix well into this sauce and still give that great buffalo chicken flavor. When everything in the sauce is incorporated together, mix in your choice of cooked pasta and you’re all set!
Sometimes it’s hard to resist the call of a good Mac and Cheese recipe. So, next time the craving strikes, you’ll have this tasty recipe in your back pocket that’s perfect for a cheesy classic with some extra flavor, and it’s fantastic to be able to throw together quickly to serve guests. That’s it for this week, enjoy this recipe and share it with someone else while you’re at it, and we’ll see you next time.
