Buffalo Chicken Mac-n-Cheese

What is better than a big lunch on Sunday afternoon? Absolutely nothing! Which is why we are instituting them back into our house!! We were really good about doing them before Alex deployed and then after he came back.....well.....I do not remember exactly why we did not start them back up. Probably because it had been so long since we had done them we forgot we had done them. Did that make any sense?? Oh well. You get the point. So typically this is when I make a very hearty and filling meal so that there is little to no need for dinner. Todays menu?? Buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese! This is a southwestern take on a family classic. So if you do not like spicy...either adjust to meet your taste buds or do not try it. We LOVE spicy food! So it only makes sense that we like this dish. The dish itself it not too complicated, you just had to be good at multi-tasking.  It is a good recipe to use up leftover chicken though. That's another reason I like this!

7T butter, plus more for the dish
1lb elbow pasta ( I much prefer cavatappi or piggies tails!)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3c shredded rotisserie chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4c hot sauce ( I prefer Louisianna)
2T all purpose flour
2t dry mustard powder
2 1/2c half-n-half
1lb yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1inch cubes (about 3 1/2c)
8oz pepperjack cheese, shredded (about 2c)
2/3c sour cream
1c panko
1/2c crumbled blue cheese
2 chopped fresh parsley

I mentioned in the ingredient list I prefer cavatappi. You wondering what is cavatappi?? It is a beautiful squiggly pasta that Anthony lovingly refers to as piggies tails. And you know what?? I take it!! If calling them piggies tails makes him eat marinara pasta, then so be it! Here is a link for Cavatappi.

Preheat your oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add pasta and cool until al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 3T butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 min. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2c hot sauce and simmer  until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Melt 2T butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-n-half, then add the remaining 1/4c hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in sour cream until smooth.

Spread half of the pasta in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and then the remaining pasta. Pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top.

Put the remaining 2T butter in a medium microwave-safe dish and microwave until melted. Stir in panko, blue cheese, and parsley. Sprinkle over the pasta and bake until bubbly, 30-40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

This is ooey gooey cheesy goodness!! And shoot if you're gonna be bad and have a fattening meal, this is a pretty damn good one to have!! Me and Alex enjoyed our lunch in the comfort of a lazy-boy and were grateful for the slouchy room it provided! I mean this is unbutton your pants full! But shoot....why not?? It's not like swimsuit season is upon us! Hahaha!! Okay let me rephrase, its not like I am all that worried with swimsuit season since I rarely if ever wear one!! So to all of us who love food....pull up a spoon and let's throw out our bikinis together!!