Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
chicken tenders, cut into bite size
600 g
buttermilk
120 ml
hot sauce
60 ml
salt
1 tsp
black pepper
1 tsp
garlic powder
1 tsp
onion powder
1 tsp
paprika
1 tsp
cayenne pepper
0.5 tsp
flour
120 g
cornstarch
16 g
Mac & Cheese Sauce
butter
28 g
minced garlic
15 g
flour
8 g
heavy cream
240 ml
cream cheese
113 g
evaporated milk
355 ml
sharp cheddar cheese
227 g
Colby jack cheese
227 g
mozzarella cheese
227 g
cooked elbow macaroni
340 g
pasta water
60 ml
white pepper
0.5 tsp
Buffalo Sauce
butter
28 g
buffalo sauce
120 ml
honey
30 g
Instructions
Cook elbow macaroni
Cook 3/4 lb elbow macaroni according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water before draining.
Prepare chicken wet batter
Cut chicken tenders into bite-sized pieces. Mix buttermilk and 1/4 cup hot sauce. Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne (optional). Marinate in buttermilk mixture for 15 minutes.
Prepare dry coating
Mix 1 cup flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne (optional).
Bread and fry chicken
Remove chicken from wet batter, coat in dry mixture. Fry in hot oil until golden and cooked through (165°C internal temp), about 4-5 minutes per batch.
Make cheese sauce
Melt 2 tbsp butter, sauté minced garlic 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp flour, cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in heavy cream, evaporated milk, then cream cheese. Add 4 oz each cheddar, colby jack, mozzarella. Season with salt and white pepper. Stir until smooth.
Assemble mac & cheese
Mix cooked macaroni with cheese sauce and reserved pasta water. Layer half in baking dish, add 4 oz each cheese. Top with remaining mac, then remaining cheeses.
Bake mac & cheese
Bake at 175°C for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and golden. Optional: broil 1 minute for extra browning.
Make buffalo sauce
Melt 2 tbsp butter, mix with buffalo sauce and honey.
Coat chicken in buffalo sauce
Toss fried chicken in buffalo sauce until fully coated.
Serve
Top baked mac & cheese with buffalo chicken. Serve immediately.
Original recipe
Storage
Best eaten fresh. Freezes well before baking.
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