Buffalo Mac - n - Cheese

Buffalo Mac -n- Cheese, served with a Ranch Dressing

When it comes to throwing a party everyone wants the same thing; They want their gets to have a great time, eat delicious food and make some memoires. But as the host, the food preparation part can be tiresome and stressful. In comes my recipe for Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese. This is a great recipe to impress your guests and to easily double it for more servings. If you are feeling extra ambitious, it is easy to swap out the buffalo sauce with bbq sauce and make a tray of each.

Serves about 8-10 people

Ingredients:

Chicken Thighs, 6-8 pieces, boneless, skinless

All Purpose Seasoning, as needed

Oregano, dry, as needed

Water, 1 1/2 cup

Whole Milk, 2 cups

Buffalo Wing Sauce, 1 1/2 cups

All Purpose Seasoning, 1/2 - 1 teaspoon

Egg, Large, 2

Black Pepper, 1/2 teaspoon

Italian Blend Shredded Cheese, 3 1/2 cups

Ranch Dressing, as needed

Pasta, medium shells, 4 cups

Lets Get Cooking:

1. In a large 9 x 12 oven safe baking pan, place the chicken thighs into the pan and top with a good amount of all-purpose seasoning and oregano, then pour 1 1/2 cup of water over the chicken and cover with aluminum foil. Place in a 375-degree oven and bake until the chicken reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and chop to small pieces, trimming the access fat that did not cook off. Set aside unit pasta is ready. Leave the oven on! Rinse this pan out and set aside to use again.

2. In a small sauce pot, bring 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt to a boil and then add the pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes until the pasta is a little soft but not mushy. Strain immediately and place in the oven safe baking pan. Then top with the cooked chopped chicken.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the milk, wing sauce, all-purpose seasoning, egg, black pepper, then pour into the pan with the chicken and pasta. Carefully stir to incorporate all the ingredients. Sprinkle cheese (reserving 1 cup) evenly over the pasta and gently give it a little stir to mix the cheese in.

4. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, carefully stir the mac -n- cheese and spread the last cup of cheese over the top. Place back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes uncovered. Once the dish is ready, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes on the counter, serve with ranch dressing.

Chef’s Tips:

• I recommend purchasing Making It Delicious All-Purpose Seasoning from MakingItDelicious.com or picking up a bottle from any Johnny D’s Waffles location.

• This dish can be prepared the day before. Reheat covered in a 350-degree oven until bubbling throughout, about 20 minutes or so, stirring once about half way through.

• Swap out the buffalo wing sauce for bbq sauce to make a BBQ Chicken Mac n Cheese.

• I prefer to use Sweet Baby Rays Buffalo Wing Sauce as a ready made sauce

Watch Chef Jamie on Loving Local with Carolina Trust Federal Credit Union and WBTW talking up some Super Bowl Snacks.

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