Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Take buffalo chicken dip and make a savory mac and cheese! The best part is the crunchy pretzel topping for the most epic mac and cheese.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
3 cups of dry macaroni noodles
5 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
2 cups light cream
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup hot sauce
4 ounces softened cream cheese
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Crushed pretzels
Chives
Instructions
1. Cook the macaroni in salted water according to box directions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a large pan and whisk in the flour and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the light cream and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to thicken slightly.
3. Dice the cream cheese into chunks about 1″ thick then add to the cream, whisk so it blends smoothly into the sauce. Then season with salt and garlic powder.
4. Add the 5 cups of Cheddar cheese a little at a time and stir until it’s all totally melted. Stir in the hot sauce. Lastly, stir in the 2 cups of shredded chicken.
5. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray and pour in the cooked noodles, then pour the Buffalo chicken cheese sauce over top and stir so all noodles are generously coated. Top with extra shredded cheese and lastly as much of the crushed pretzels as you want, but keep in mind to leave some empty space so the Cheddar can get a little browned.
6. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, then broil to brown the cheese. Keep a very close eye on it when it’s broiling since pretzels could burn.
Garnish with chopped chives and serve right away!