Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

This Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is the perfect way to use up leftover chicken! Topped with blue cheese and baked in the oven, this is a mac and cheese recipe you don’t want to miss!

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Aka one of the many reasons I’ll never own a six pack. This is not only one of my favourite ways to use buffalo sauce, but it’s also one of my favourite mac and cheese recipes. Here’s why I think you’ll love it too:

• It’s absolutely bursting with flavour! This mac and cheese is built up with layers of flavours that all marry together perfectly.
• It’s incredibly easy to make.
• The perfect way to use up leftover chicken.

Unlike some buffalo mac and cheese or even just spicy mac and cheese recipes, this version is the full works. From celery to blue cheese and green onion to sour cream, all those classic buffalo pairings are stuffed into this bowl of cheesy goodness.

How to make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

The mac and cheese itself is actually incredibly easy to make. Besides your pantry staples such as butter, flour, milk and pasta, here’s the key ingredients:

• Celery & Green Onion
• Cheese (here I use mostly cheddar with some mozzarella, then topped with blue cheese)
• Buffalo Sauce & Sour Cream
• Onion & Garlic Powder

Some of which you may hopefully already have on hand!

How to make Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese (quick summary)

1. Melt butter.
2. Fry Celery.
3. Stir in flour, then gradually whisk in milk.
4. Add cheese.
5. Add buffalo sauce, sour cream and seasonings.
6. Add chicken.
7. Combine with pasta.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

To bake or not to bake?!

If you’ve been a reader of mine for a while, you’ll know I’m a sucker for baked mac and cheese. Nothing beats that golden, crispy layer on top. However, I do highly recommend baking it, but you can have this unbaked if you want. Just leave off the breadcrumbs, but still crumble over the blue cheese and spring onion.

On the flip side if you want it baked, pour over blue cheese then breadcrumbs and pop in the oven uncovered until golden, bubbly and delicious. Sprinkle with spring onion at the end.

I recommend either frying your breadcrumbs in some butter OR spraying over oil just before baking. Both will help the breadcrumbs come out golden and crunchy, not dry and crumbly.

And there we have it! Your food coma is officially ready and waiting.

Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes?

Buffalo Recipes

• Buffalo Chicken Wraps
• Homemade Buffalo Sauce
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs 
• Buffalo Chicken Crunchwraps

Unique Mac and Cheese Recipes

• Gnocchi Mac and Cheese
• Roasted Garlic Mac and Cheese
• Spicy Bacon Mac and Cheese
• Brie Mac and Cheese
• Chipotle Mac and Cheese

Alrighty, let’s tuck into this buffalo mac and cheese recipe shall we?!

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How to make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese (Full Recipe & Video)

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

This Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is the perfect way to use up leftover chicken! Topped with blue cheese and baked in the oven, this is a mac and cheese recipe you don't want to miss!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings (click & slide): 6

Calories: 855kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £3 / $4

Equipment:

• Deep 12" Skillet or Large Pot
• Large Pot (for pasta)
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Wooden Spoon
• Whisk
• 8x12" Baking Dish
• Serving Spoon
• Grater

Ingredients (check list):

• ▢ 14oz / 400g Elbow Macaroni (or regular macaroni)
• ▢ 4 cups / 1litre Milk, at room temp
• ▢ 2 cups Leftover Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
• ▢ 3 cups / 300g Cheddar, grated
• ▢ 1 cup / 100g Mozzarella, shredded
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 125ml Buffalo Sauce
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 120g Sour Cream
• ▢ 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• ▢ 4 tbsp Flour
• ▢ 2 Celery Stalks, finely diced (optional)
• ▢ 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• ▢ Salt & Pepper, to taste

Topping

• ▢ 3oz / 85g Blue Cheese, crumbled
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 30g Breadcrumbs (see notes)
• ▢ 1 large Spring/Green Onion, sliced

Instructions:

• Melt 4 tbsp butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat and add 2 stalks of celery. Fry for a minute to soften very slightly, then stir in 4 tbsp flour to form a paste. Very gradually add milk, whisking as you go to smooth out any lumps. At no point should it have a watery consistency, if it has you've poured it in too quickly. In such case just to simmer to reduce/thicken before you add more.
• Meanwhile, cook 14oz/400g pasta in salted boiling water until only JUST cooked. You want it still a bit hard. Drain and combine with cheese sauce after step 4.
• Once thickened, stir in 3cups/300g and 1cup/100g mozzarella. It's important to make sure your sauce has thickened before you add the cheese, don't use the cheese to thicken the sauce.
• Add 1/2cup/125ml buffalo sauce, 1/2cup/120g sour cream, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder and salt & pepper to taste. Stir in 2 cups shredded chicken. Combine with pasta.
• Pour into a baking dish, top with 3oz/85g crumbled blue cheese, then top with 1/2cup/30g breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven at 390f/200c for 20mins or until golden and bubbly. Serve with sliced green onion.

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Subs:

• Celery - Leave this is out if you don't like celery.
• Buffalo Sauce - Can sub for Hot sauce, however it's usually spicier so just go careful with the quantity.
• Spring Onion - Sub fresh chives. I wouldn't leave this out, adds awesome flavour & pop of colour.
• Leftover Chicken - Can cook and shred chicken if you don't have leftover rotisserie. 2 breasts should work perfectly.

b) Bake or No Bake - You can do this without baking, in which case just leave off the breadcrumbs. Still do serve with crumbled blue cheese and spring onion though.

c) Breadcrumbs - I use Panko for extra crispiness, but any breadcrumbs will work. You'll either want to quickly fry them in a bit of butter OR spray olive oil over before baking. This will ensure they come out golden and crispy, not dry and powdery.

d) Al Dente Pasta - Very important to ensure the pasta is only just cooked, otherwise it'll come out soft and broken once baked. 

e) Calories - based on all the above ingredient quantity, using olive oil spray for breadcrumbs and shared between 6 people.

Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Amount Per Serving

Calories 855 Calories from Fat 334

% Daily Value*

Fat 37.12g57%

Saturated Fat 20.881g104%

Trans Fat 0.805g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.121g

Monounsaturated Fat 9.929g

Cholesterol 156mg52%

Sodium 1343mg56%

Potassium 832mg24%

Carbohydrates 71.61g24%

Fiber 4.3g17%

Sugar 13.37g15%

Protein 57.14g114%

Vitamin A 1517IU30%

Vitamin C 5.1mg6%

Calcium 903mg90%

Iron 2.16mg12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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