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Buffalo Chicken Macaroni Bake
Rachel Kim

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni Bake

This has enough hot sauce to taste like Buffalo chicken without turning the cheese sauce orange and thin. Celery adds crunch inside the pan, not as a token garnish. Pull it when the crumbs brown because overbaked macaroni gets greasy.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz elbow macaroni
  • 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole milk warmed
  • 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/2 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce
  • 2 celery ribs finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter melted

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 375°F, grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and boil the macaroni 2 minutes short of tender.
  2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Whisk in the warm milk and simmer until thickened, then remove from the heat and stir in both cheeses, hot sauce and salt.
  4. Fold the drained macaroni, cooked chicken and celery into the sauce and spread the mixture in the dish.
  5. Mix the panko with the melted butter and scatter it across the top.
  6. Bake until bubbling and browned, 20 to 25 minutes, then rest for 5 minutes.