This buffalo mac and cheese recipe places a daring, spicy spin on traditional consolation meals! It’s full of wealthy, tangy buffalo scorching sauce, juicy shredded rooster, and three sorts of cheese, baked till it’s scorching and bubbly.
Lovers of spicy buffalo rooster and buffalo rooster pasta, put together to fulfill the macaroni and cheese of your goals!
Between my Buffalo rooster and rice casserole and stovetop dip, it’s protected to say I’m not-so-mildly obsessive about buffalo scorching sauce. So, it was solely a matter of time earlier than I labored it into one other one in all my favourite consolation meals meals: macaroni and cheese! This buffalo mac and cheese is all the pieces I imagined it will be. Tacky (that a lot is a given), saucy, full of juicy bites of rooster, and simply spicy sufficient to get the tastebuds tingling.
Why I Love This Buffalo Rooster Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Daring buffalo taste. Buffalo scorching sauce brings tons of taste to this recipe. I like that the tangy warmth of the buffalo sauce will get tempered completely by a beneficiant quantity of melted cheese. In fact, be at liberty to make use of a light buffalo sauce if you happen to’re delicate to spice.
- Baked within the oven. I like baked mac and cheese. The within turns into gooey and bubbly whereas the cheese on high will get all toasty and golden. Drool. Nevertheless, it’s additionally high-quality to skip the baking step if you happen to’re quick on time. Your buffalo mac and cheese will nonetheless prove scrumptious!
- Fast to prep. Did I point out that this mac and cheese wants solely 10 minutes of prep earlier than you pop it into the oven? Contemplate this your signal to make it ASAP!
Components You’ll Want
These are the elements that go into this home made buffalo mac and cheese, plus some notes and substitutions (if you happen to want them). Scroll to the recipe card under the publish for the printable elements record and recipe directions. I’ve additionally included a photograph step-by-step under the recipe card that walks you thru learn how to make it!
- Rooster Breasts – Boneless, skinless rooster breasts (or thighs) are best to shred. You would additionally use leftover baked rooster breasts or a store-bought or air fryer rotisserie rooster.
- Seasoning – Olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper to coat the rooster.
- Elbow Macaroni – The perfect pasta dishes rely upon the standard of your pasta. I like to recommend slow-dried semolina pasta produced from 100% durum wheat.
- Butter, Flour, and Milk – You’ll mix these elements to make béchamel, which is the bottom for the cheese sauce in mac and cheese recipes. I take advantage of unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, and complete milk (you need to use any type of milk you’d like).
- Cheese – I like a mixture of melty cheddar and Monterey Jack in my mac and cheese. For an additional kick, you can additionally use Pepper Jack. Make sure you grate the cheese contemporary in order that it melts easily.
- Buffalo Sauce – Select your favourite model from the shop, like Frank’s Crimson Sizzling. Or, borrow the home made Buffalo sauce from my air fryer buffalo cauliflower recipe.
- Gorgonzola Cheese – I can’t resist including a sprinkle of tangy, funky crumbled blue cheese to this buffalo macaroni and cheese. The mix at all times jogs my memory of buffalo rooster wings dipped in blue cheese sauce!
Suggestions and Variations
- Use high quality pasta. The higher the pasta, the higher your pasta dinners will likely be!
- Not a fan of blue cheese? As an alternative of topping this mac and cheese with gorgonzola, drizzle the highest with ranch dressing earlier than serving.
- Save the pasta water. Earlier than you drain the boiled macaroni noodles, put aside a few cup of the starchy pasta water, simply in case. This manner, if the cheese sauce is simply too thick in a while, you may add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water (or extra if wanted) to get it to the fitting consistency. The starches additionally assist emulsify the sauce.
- Test the rooster for doneness. When cooking the rooster breast on this recipe, test that the rooster is cooked by way of by taking the inner temperature utilizing an instant-read thermometer. It’s carried out when it hits 165ºF.
- Totally different protein. Change shredded rooster with pulled pork or shredded or floor beef. Depart the meat out altogether to make a vegetarian buffalo mac and cheese.
- Add-ins. Stir in cooked crumbled bacon, diced jalapeños, or veggies, like onions, bell peppers, or chopped steamed broccoli.
Serving Options
My favourite solution to serve this baked buffalo mac and cheese is with a facet of one thing contemporary, like an avocado salad or inexperienced bean salad. Italian grissini breadsticks additionally make a pleasant, gentle bread facet, and I like this baked battered shrimp as a starter.
In any other case, if we’re craving consolation, I’ll make a batch of air fryer potato wedges or corn ribs whereas the mac and cheese is within the oven. These additionally make nice sides each time I make this buffalo mac and cheese for a soccer or recreation day get together!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Retailer this buffalo mac and cheese coated within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
- Reheat. I like to recommend reheating leftovers in a 350ºF oven for 20 minutes or so, or till the mac and cheese is scorching all through. Or, reheat parts within the microwave in 30-second increments.
- Freeze. You may also freeze this mac and cheese for as much as 3 months. Thaw it within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating.
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Prep the rooster. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the rooster between two items of plastic wrap and pound it with a meat mallet to a fair thickness.
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Add seasonings. Brush the rooster with olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon paprika, salt, and pepper to style.
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Bake the rooster. Switch the rooster to a baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or till cooked by way of. The internal temperature of the rooster ought to attain 165˚F. Set the cooked rooster apart to chill. As soon as cooled, shred it by utilizing two forks or a meat shredder. Observe: You possibly can skip this step when you’ve got cooked or rotisserie rooster leftovers.
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Prepare dinner the macaroni. Deliver a big pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare dinner the macaroni in accordance with the package deal instructions. As soon as cooked, drain and put aside.
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Make a roux. Soften the butter in a big saucepan set over medium-high warmth. Add the flour and prepare dinner, stirring for 1-2 minutes or till golden. Pour within the milk, whisking continuously, till the sauce is thickened, for five minutes. Season to style with salt and pepper.
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Add cheese. Stir half of the cheddar and half of the Monterey Jack cheese into the sauce till melted and mixed.
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Mix. Stir within the buffalo sauce and the cooked macaroni. Lastly, combine within the shredded rooster.
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Prep for baking. Decrease the oven temperature to 350ºF. Frivolously grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
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Fill the pan. Add the macaroni combination to the baking dish, topping with the remaining cheddar, Monterey jack cheese, and crumbled gorgonzola cheese.
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Bake. Bake for 20 minutes or till the cheese is golden and bubbly.
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Serve. Take away the mac and cheese from the oven and let it relaxation for five minutes earlier than serving.
- All the time use high quality pasta for the very best outcomes.
- Use pepper jack cheese as a substitute of Monterey jack cheese for a further kick of warmth.
- In case your sauce is simply too thick, add ¼ cup of pasta water to skinny it out to a desired consistency.
- Different stovetop methodology: This recipe can be made with out baking. Mix all three sorts of cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, gorgonzola), rooster, and pasta into the ready sauce, stirring till the cheese is melted and the rooster is warmed by way of. Function desired.
Serving: 1.5cups | Energy: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 27g | Fats: 19g | Saturated Fats: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 1g | Monounsaturated Fats: 5g | Trans Fats: 0.2g | Ldl cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 932mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 543IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 305mg | Iron: 1mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might fluctuate in accordance with the elements and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.
How one can Make Buffalo Mac and Cheese
Observe the steps under to have this buffalo rooster mac and cheese assembled and within the oven in literal minutes. And if you happen to don’t really feel like baking it, I’ve included straightforward stovetop instructions afterward.
- Prep the rooster. Begin by pounding the rooster breasts to a fair thickness between two items of plastic wrap, the identical as you’d for rooster paillard. Then, rub the rooster with olive oil and season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Prepare dinner the rooster. Prepare dinner the rooster breasts utilizing your most popular methodology. I normally bake them within the oven at 450ºF for 15-20 minutes. You may also prepare dinner the rooster following my stovetop, Prompt Pot, or air fryer strategies.
- Shred. As soon as the rooster is cooked and cooled, use two forks or a set of shredding claws to shred it.
- Prepare dinner the pasta. Subsequent, boil the macaroni in a pot of salted water. When it’s al dente, drain and set the pasta apart (don’t overlook to avoid wasting pasta water!).
- Make a roux. In the meantime, mix flour with melted butter in a saucepot. Let the flour prepare dinner and brown for 1-2 minutes, then whisk within the milk to make a roux.
- Put all of it collectively. As soon as the roux thickens, soften within the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Add the buffalo sauce and cooked macaroni, and eventually, stir within the shredded rooster.
- Bake. Switch the mac and cheese to a greased 9×13” baking dish. Sprinkle over the remaining shredded cheese and crumble over the gorgonzola. Then, bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes till golden and bubbly.
Stovetop Methodology
You can also make this buffalo mac and cheese with out the oven, too. To skip the baking step, merely mix the topping cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, and gorgonzola) with the shredded rooster and pasta within the ready buffalo cheese sauce. Stir till all the pieces is melted and warmed by way of, and serve instantly.
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