Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

SPICY!!!

OK people, today is the day...what day is it? It's the day I take my macaroni and cheese and turn it into a hot wing! Yep, I love hot wings, I love cheese, yes, I know, you know, I just love food!

I started with some chicken breast, sliced into  tenders. You can purchase tenders already sliced to make it simple for you.

These tenders are highly seasoned, I used creole seasoning, black pepper, garlic and onion powder, cayenne hot sauce and some beaten eggs. And that is before we made the breading.

Here is my cheese sauce, it's just, well, cheesy! Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, a little Gorgonzola because hey, there is nothing better than blue cheese and hot wings....I also sauteed some celery, bell pepper and shallots then I made a butter roux.

We gonna, FRY SOME CHICKEN! Yes, I said it, FRY SOME CHICKEN!

Then I chopped the FRIED chicken and folded it into the cheese sauce. Add that to the cooked pasta, topped with more cheese and a little bit of butter.

Look what we got here!  There are no words to describe the feeling of hot, melty, cheesy, buttery, crispy chicken wing mac and cheese in your mouth!

OK, I found a few words. But the main word is YUM!

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 lb large elbow macaroni
1 lb fried chicken strips, chopped (recipe below)
2 eggs, beaten
3 c. whole milk
4 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated, reserve 1 cup for topping macaroni
2 c. jack cheese, grated
3 oz. Gorgonzola cheese
1 small Velveeta, cubed
1 can Campbell cheese sauce
1 bell pepper, diced
2 shallots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. creole seasoning
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 stick of butter plus 2 tablespoons
4 tbsp. flour
extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat a large stock pot full of salted water and cook pasta for 6 minutes, drain and rinse well. When pasta cools, add two beaten eggs and mix well.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

In a large skillet add two tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add all vegetables except garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, add garlic saute 1 minute more.

Add 1 stick of butter over to vegetables, add flour and whisk well for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add all the seasonings, whisk well. Add milk and whisk well.

Add cheeses by the handful, whisking well after each addition. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes. Fold in the chopped fried chicken strips.

Spray a 9X13 casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. Pour mixture into prepared pan and top with remaining cheese and two tablespoons of diced butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes are until browned. Enjoy!


Chicken:

4 chicken breast cut into strips
1 tbsp. creole seasoning
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1/2 tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 c. hot sauce
2 eggs, beaten

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Batter:
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. creole seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder

Mix well and set aside.

To Prepare:
1 container of cooking oil

In a large pot heat oil over medium high heat, filling pan half way to prevent overspill. When oil add chicken coated in flour and fry for about 12 minutes are until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink inside. Drain on paper napkins and set aside.