Description
Creamy, cheesy buffalo chicken mac and cheese made with sharp cheddar cheeses, crushed Texas toast croutons, shredded rotisserie chicken, and buffalo sauce.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups elbow macaroni
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1/2–1 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups warm milk
- 4 ounces, extra sharp white Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces, ‘yellow’ sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces, fontina cheese, shredded
- 2 cup whole croutons, crushed (I like garlic butter)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F.
- Bring a large bot of salted water to a boil. Cook elbows until al dente. Strain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, spray a cast iron skillet liberally with cooking spray. Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly until incorporated and roux has formed, about 1-2 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in warm milk, one cup at a time, whisking out any lumps if they form. Heat until sauce just starts to bubble in the center. It helps to whisk constantly during this step.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of cheese in a small bowl for step 6. Add half of the remaining cheese to the skillet, whisk until nearly all is melted and creamy. Add the other remaining half and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add the buffalo sauce and mix until fully incorporated.
- Stir in cooked elbows and shredded chicken until evenly distributed. Evenly top with a layer of the reserved 1/2 cup of cheese and then crushed croutons.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until croutons are golden. Serve immediately.
Notes
This recipe calls for roughly 16 ounces of cheese. Your typical block of cheese is 8 ounces. You want roughly 3 1/2 cups of shredded cheese, lightly packed (a little extra is always OK).
Start with half a cup of buffalo sauce and add more to taste.
You can also add a little crumbled blue cheese to the top if you prefer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 596
- Sugar: 7.2g
- Sodium: 828mg
- Fat: 26.6g
- Saturated Fat: 15.9g
- Carbohydrates: 45.4g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 43.8g
- Cholesterol: 152mg
Keywords: buffalo mac and cheese, buffalo chicken mac and cheese. skillet mac and cheese
