Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

This was a wonderful and hearty dinner that I found in Steve and Kathy Doocy's cookbook The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook. This is the third recipe we have tried from the cook book. 

We had some left over chicken from a Rotisserie Chicken in the freezer that we could use.  A quick trip to the grocery store for some of the pancetta and toppings and we were ready to cook.  I am a big Mac and Cheese fan, so this took it to a whole new level.  Before the weather starts to warm up give this a try. 

Ingredients

Cooking Spray

8 oz. of elbow macaroni

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

2 oz. cream cheese, cubed

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup ranch dressing

2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 4 oz package of pancetta, diced

1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles

For Topping

2 green onions, green parts only cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. coat an 8 x 8 inch baking dish or a 10 inch skillet with cooking spray.

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling water until just al dente according to the package directions. Remove from heat but leave the noodles in the water. 

Meanwhile in a medium bowl, combine the chicken and the Franks Red Hot sauce and stir to coat.

In a small bowl, combine the panko and olive oil and stir to coat the breadcrumbs evenly. 

In a large skillet, melt the butter and cream cheese over medium heat, whisking them to combine. Whisk in the flour and mustard powder; it will thicken like a roux. Quickly add the milk and give it a good whisk until smooth.  Bring to a boil and immediately remove it from the heat. Fold in the ranch dressing, then the Cheddar Cheese and stir until it melts. Mix in the sauce coated chicken until evenly combined.

In a small nonstick skillet, fry the pancetta over medium heat until it just starts to brown and renders some fat., 3 to 5 minutes.  Pour the pancetta and its oil into the cheese mixture and stir well. 

Drain the noodles and add them to the cheese mixture. Stir to coat the noodles evenly.

Pour the cheese and noodle mixture into the prepared pan or skillet. Sprinkle the oiled bread crumbs on top followed by the blue cheese. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Let it rest for 5 minutes, If desired top with green onions or celery to add some tasty freshness.