Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
A creamy comfort food classic elevated with a spicy buffalo chicken base! If you're a mac and cheese lover, this is not to be missed!
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 484kcal
Ingredients
Baked Whole Chicken
- 4 pound chicken* whole
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sage
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- black pepper to taste
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- 1 pound macaroni noodles gluten free, if necessary
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing hot sauce
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs gluten free (brown rice crackers, blended into a flour)
White Cheddar Cheese Sauce
- 2/3 cup chicken broth
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 4 cups aged white cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot
Instructions
Baked Chicken
- Rub chicken with salt and spices, and place in a shallow baking dish.
- Bake in the Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven on 425º F for 50 minutes on the BAKE/REHEAT setting.
- If baking in a conventional oven, preheat the oven to 425º F. Cover the chicken and baking dish with foil tightly, and bake for 1 hour. Uncover, and bake for another 30 minutes to brown.
- Once chicken has cooled some, remove the chicken from the bones and shred into bite-sized pieces.
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Boil water and cook pasta per package instructions.
- Prepare the buffalo chicken by melting butter in a frying pan, and then adding the hot sauce. Add the shredded chicken and mix to coat.
- Add the buffalo chicken to the base of a 9x9 baking dish.
- Prepare cheese sauce by adding the broth to a saucepan over low heat. Set the Sharp Induction Cooktop to level 1 for the simmer enhancer feature. If using a standard cooktop, turn on the lowest setting.
- Add mustard powder and garlic to the broth, and stir until the broth has warmed.
- Sprinkle the cheese with arrowroot, and stir to gently coat.
- Add the cheese to the broth, and use a fork to mix it together well. "Whisk" the cheese until a very smooth and slightly thin cheese sauce as formed. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little more broth to thin it out so it easily coats the pasta.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the drained pasta, and mix to combine.
- Add the pasta to the baking dish in a layer over the buffalo chicken.
- Top the macaroni with a dusting of breadcrumbs.
- Bake in the Sharp Superheated Steam Countertop Oven for 15 minutes on the Broil/Grill function at 450º F until the breadcrumbs are toasted and the casserole is heated throughout.
- If baking in a conventional oven, preheat the oven to bake at 425º F, then bake for 20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Serve with carrots and celery, or sprinkle on blue cheese.
Video
Notes
*Save time by using a precooked chicken.
Nutrition
Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 610IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 432mg | Iron: 1.5mg