Buffalo chicken mac ’n’ cheese
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Easy
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- 100g dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned well
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 500g chicken breast mini fillets, halved
- spray oil
MAC 'N' CHEESE
- 35g butter
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 600ml whole milk
- 100g mature cheddar, grated
- 100g gruyère, grated
- 150g dolcelatte, rind removed and broken into pieces
- 175g macaroni
RANCH SAUCE
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp soured cream
- ½ a clove garlic
- 1 tbsp chives
BUFFALO SAUCE
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1-2 tbsp American hot sauce
Method
- STEP 1
To make the mac ’n’ cheese sauce, melt the butter in a pan, then stir in the flour. Keep cooking and stirring for 3 minutes then gradually whisk in the milk to give a smooth sauce. Add the cheddar, gruyère and dolcelatte, and stir until melted. Season
- STEP 2
To make the chicken, toss the breadcrumbs with the paprika, garlic salt and dried oregano in a shallow bowl. Put the flour and eggs in 2 more separate bowls.
- STEP 3
Dust the chicken pieces in the flour, then egg, then spiced breadcrumbs.
- STEP 4
To cook, heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the chicken on a rack over a baking tray so heat can reach underneath. Spray over oil then bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp, golden and cooked through.
- STEP 5
To finish the mac ’n’ cheese, cook the macaroni until al dente then rinse under cold water and drain well. Stir through the cheese sauce. It will look quite sloppy but the idea is you get both carb and sauce to go with the chicken. Divide between 6 individual baking dishes.
- STEP 6
To make the ranch sauce, put everything in a food processor and whizz until smooth.
- STEP 7
For the buffalo sauce, melt the butter and whisk in the hot sauce.
- STEP 8
Heat the grill to high and grill each dish for 3-5 minutes or until the mac ’n’ cheese is golden. Divide the chicken between the dishes and top with the ranch and buffalo sauces.