buffalo mac ‘n cheese;
I feel like I’ve been on a spicy kick recently. Between my jalapeño popper bread and trying some spicy BBQ sauces at Smoqued in Chicago (see my culinary adventure), I’ve been eating a bit more spicy food than I normally do, and I made buffalo mac ‘n cheese for dinner tonight! So I’m coming up in the spice world, apparently.
I like this recipe because it’s really easy and simple, adapted from andiemitchell.com Perfect for making around playing Pokemon Go! Hahaha, yes, I am newly obsessed with the game, like pretty much everyone everywhere. I got a sweet vaporeon last night and T and I took over our first gyms! Red team, baby! I played at work, I played when we walked Kenichi, and I played last night when a local guy used a bunch of lures on like 5 pokestops super close to each other right down the street from us. I’m slightly obsessive. But anyway, back to the buffalo mac ‘n cheese! The important part.
I wouldn’t say this recipe was revolutionary, but I definitely did enjoy it and would make it again as something different for T and me. I will note that I tried not to go crazy with the cheese (gasp, I know right?) to attempt to be a little on the healthy side, and while it’s tasty, it could always use more cheese. Also note that the cheese sauce, while good, didn’t really adhere to the pasta itself and ended up mixing in with the chicken. It was still wonderfully tasty, making the little piles of chicken like little savory bombs throughout the pasta. Next time I try this recipe I’ll have to figure out if there’s a better way!
Also note that I just decided to slow cooker my chicken (see my recipe for shredded chicken for details), but you can also always poach your chicken if you haven’t prepped the shredded chicken in advance. Add the chicken breasts to a pan or Dutch oven and cover with water until it rises 1 inch higher than the chicken. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer approximately 15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts. At the finish the chicken breasts should be totally opaque and read an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Feel free to cut into the breast at the thickest part to test if it’s cooked–since we’re going to be shredding them anyway, no harm, no fowl. (Hahahaha–did you see what I did there? I’m glad I make myself laugh even if no one else does.)
107-BuffaloChickenMacNCheese
