Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

My child is very spice-sensitive. If I put too much pepper in something, she notices and cannot eat it. This makes me sad because I adore spicy foods. I could eat buffalo wings all day.

She recently spent a month in Maine with her grandparents, my in-laws. The hubster and I ate all the spicy food we could while she was away. I made Creamy Chicken Taquitos with some added chipotle peppers and tabasco sauce. I made spicy sweet potatoes. I made jambalya. I basically added spice to everything I could.

My favorite, though? My favorite was this buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese I made up myself. I got the idea from Pinterest, but I didn’t like the recipe that was ‘pinned.’ This turned out pretty delicious, guys. I can’t wait to make it again…. when the child won’t be here again, of course.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

1 lb Boneless Chicken Breasts
1/4 Cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
8 Ounces Small Shell Pasta
1 1/2 Cup Frozen Peas (Optional)
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Flour
2 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Ranch or Bleu Cheese Dressing
1 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper, To Taste

Start by cooking the chicken. You could grill it, saute it, bake it, whatever. I baked it at 350F for about 45 minutes, just seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper.

Once the chicken is cooked, cut it into bite sized cubes and mix it with the wing sauce. Feel free to adjust the amount of sauce based on how spicy you like things. I ran out of regular wing sauce, and added a few splashes Buffalo Tabasco to raise the spice a bit.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour, and allow to cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes, until it thickens slightly.

Remove sauce from heat, and stir in the dressing and cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Once the pasta is finished cooking, mix it with the peas, sauce, and chicken.

Pour mixture into a baking dish, and top with the grated parmesan. I also added a few more splashes of Buffalo Tabasco. I wanted it extra spicy.

Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, or until it is hot and bubbly.

Enjoy.

Seriously. Enjoy.

When I made this, I used reduced fat cheese, dressing, and milk. It came out to about 450 calories for 1/6th of the recipe, which easily fit into my calorie allowance. It was a pretty huge portion, too.

For a printable version of this recipe, click here!!