While my furry son was busy playing pumpkin bowling in the front lawn the other day when I was at the office, my chicken-lovin‘* son (who is amazingly turning into quite the cook!) kindly prepared a scrumptious dinner for hubby and me to enjoy when we came home.
What a treat!
And ooohhh how I am going to miss this guy when he moves out soon…
Who doesn’t love a yummy macaroni and cheese recipe on a cool Autumn or winter day? And buffalo chicken… well – I can eat that any which way. But – mixed with mac ‘n cheese!! WOWZA! Holy Swooning Wowza!
This would be such a yummy dish to give to someone (you know when you want to help out when a family member or friend has a baby, a loved one is mourning, a new neighbor moves in across the street, a friend has surgery…) or take to a potluck event, because it is one of those recipes that keeps well and gets even better the next day or two as leftovers when the flavors fully meld.
This is a keeper friends! Hope you’ll give it a try, because it is another Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese*
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (Nick made his by combining approximately 60% Franks Red Hot Original Cayene Pepper Sauce, 30% Cholula Hot Sauce, and 10% Sriracha Hot Chili )
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 8 oz pasta (Nick used Penne, but you could use macaroni, shells, or any shape you like)
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Add chicken, broth, buffalo sauce and seasonings to crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
Shred fully cooked chicken with fork and return to crockpot. Add UNCOOKED pasta. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 30-40 minutes until fully cooked.
Make cheese sauce separately by melting butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour. Slowly pour in milk while continuing to whisk until smooth. Bring to a simmer for 4-5 minutes until sauce thickens enough to stick to a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted and smooth.
Add cheese sauce to crockpot, and stir to combine. Enjoy!
OPTIONAL: If you like, top it right before serving with a sprinkle of freshly crumbed bleu cheese to kick it up about 10 notches!!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
*Nick found and slightly adapted this recipe from Jennifer @ Slow Cooker Gourmet
*For more yummy Winning Chicken Dinners, just type “Chicken” into the search box at the top right corner of the blog or click here.
the creative life in between 