Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Well, it's that day of the year when I should be looking forward to watching the Patriots play some football, but noooo. "Someone" just phoned it in a few weeks ago, and here we are, getting ready to watch a lot of green and yellow and black fly across the screen. Today is really "Not-So-Super Bowl Sunday" for us New Englanders...or as my friend Heidi calls it, the "JustOk" Bowl.

I have been painting my bedroom all weekend and am hoping to get to the party this evening because I need a break from all the fumes and as always it's great to see friends.  Being the optimist I am, I whippied up a tried and true recipe that never seems to last more than five minutes at these parties: Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese.  

Several years ago, I made my first attempt at macaroni and cheese from scratch. I found it to be relatively easy and so much better tasting than the Kraft version I had grown up on.  As recipes usually go, over time my macaroni and cheese has evolved into a few variations and this is one I started bringing to parties a few years ago.  I have tried it with different types of milks and have used everything from low-fat cheese to mozzarella trying to get the right consistency.  The chicken part has always eluded me, but I think I have found a way to incorporate it this year without the mess of frying anything or using some store-bought version. I will be shredding roasted boneless, skinless chicken tenders covered in a spice mixture I threw together this morning. This is an amalgamation of many recipes, and experiments, but ultimately I think I have found the right combination that gives me the texture, consistency and flavor I am looking for.

Two things to note: This is not a low-fat, low-carb, low anything version; and I only make this once a year for parties.  You can try to swap out some of the whole milk ingredients for skim or use low-fat cheese if you like.  Being a skim milk drinker myself,that's usually what I cook with,  I have found that the cheese sauce tends to stay watery, even after baking the mac in the oven.  I have also found that when melting cheese, the low-fat version just doesn't quite work.  It gets gummy and then solidifies, thus negating the creamy part of what we love about mac and cheese.  Let's be honest, who wants to eat a brick of pasta?  So, since I only do this once a year, I do it all the way.

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

for the pasta and sauce:

1 pound dry pasta (I like cavatappi for this)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour

3 cups whole milk
2 cups extra sharp cheddar, shredded
1 cup pepper jack, shredded
1 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce


for the chicken:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken tenders
1 tablespoon olive oil

Spicy Seasoning Mix (I seriously made this up this morning...let me know how you like it!):

1/2 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic granules (or garlic powder)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon celery salt


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place chicken tenders on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle Spicy Seasoning Mix on tenders.  Please in oven for 20 minutes, until cooked through and juicy.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring water to boil.  Once heated drop pasta and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the pasta is almost cooked.  I personally love using cavatappi for this.  It's a corkscrew pasta with ridges.  This makes it better for casseroles, in my opinion, because it's easier to get on the fork than elbow macaroni and the ridges help hold the sauce to the noodle.

While pasta water is heating, in a large saucepan, melt butter medium heat and add onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally until soft but not brown.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Stir in paprika, mustard, cayenne and salt and cook for one minute.  Add flour and stir until combined.  The mixture will become dry and paste-like.  Let the flour cook for about one minute, stirring occasionally, before adding the milk.

Pour in the milk and stir until the milk thickens.  This will take about 5 minutes. Once thick, add cheddar and pepper jack cheeses and stir until melted.  Pour in the Frank's Red Hot Sauce and stir until combined.  The sauce will be thick.  It might looked a little curdled, but don't worry, this happens.  It's the cheese reacting to the vinegar in the hot sauce.

Remove chicken from the oven and place tenders on a cutting board.  Turn oven temperature up to 400 degrees.  Using two forks, shred the chicken. Set aside.  Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water off and add the pasta back into the large pot.  Off the heat, add the cheese sauce to the large pot and stir to coat the pasta.

Next add in the shredded chicken.

Once combined, pour into a buttered baking dish and smooth. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs on top to create a crunchy top (For some reason I only had whole wheat panko in my cabinet, hence the darker color).  Place in a 400 degree oven and bake uncovered for 30- 35 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the top is nice and brown. 

You can make this up to one day in advance and bake it when you're ready, just hold off on the bread crumbs until right before you to put it in the oven.  (I will be baking mine in about an hour - so no photo finish this time)  This also is great for the freezer.  Just let it defrost over night in the refrigerator.  Set on the counter about 30 minutes before cooking.  We wouldn't want your nice casserole dish to break in the oven, now!   
Enjoy your afternoon, no matter what team you're rooting for and I hope you'll give this one a try.