What is more deserving of the “comfort food” label than Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese?! NOTHING. Two of my favorite things (mac and buffalo chicken dip) combined to create a mega perfect meal. And all you need for ultimate satisfaction is an oversized sweatshirt and your bed!
What I love about this recipe is that it’s super easy to make, and isn’t as unhealthy as you may think! The macaroni and cheese is made with Banza’s gluten free pasta…so no guilt trip there. And the chicken is slow cooked with Frank’s Red Hot and garlic, to keep it lean and without any added fat, sugars, or carbs.
If desired, you can bake with a butter-panko mixture and add some freshly chopped cilantro for the finishing touch! This tends to be a favorite of mine on Sunday evenings, when my motivation to do anything is low, but my comfort-food craving is high.
Earlier in the day, I’ll start by adding 1.5-2 pounds organic chicken breasts in a crock pot, with a little broth, red hot, and garlic. Let this cook on high for 3 hours, then shred right there in the crock pot using two forks. If serving later, just let sit in crock pot on WARM until ready to mix in with mac and cheese.
If planning to be out of the house all day, you can cook chicken on low for 7-8 hrs.
When ready to eat, make Banza’s Mac and Cheese as the directions outline on the box. Once your mac and cheese is finished, add to a small baked greasing dish. Take shredded buffalo chicken and mix into your mac and cheese.
I add a little extra almond milk at this point, to keep everything from drying out in the oven. If adding buttery panko crust, make sure to melt butter before mixing in panko. Take mixture and sprinkle over top of mac and cheese to form a crust.
If you want to get even fancier, drizzle a little extra red hot on top! Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes, add chopped cilantro, and enjoy!
Looking to grab yourself a couple boxes of Banza Mac and Cheese?! Try a variety pack to see which pasta shape and flavor cheeeeeeese you love most 🙂
Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 box Banza Macaroni and Cheese
- 1-1.5 lbs organic chicken breast
- 1/2 cup chicken bone broth
- 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot
- 2 cloves garlic smashed or chopped
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter melted
- 3/4 cup panko
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Take chicken, broth, garlic, and red hot, and cook on HIGH in slow cooker for 3 hours.
- 20 minutes before planning to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Make Banza Mac and Cheese according to box instructions.
- Take finished mac and cheese, and transfer to a small greased baking dish. Pour in extra almond milk and mix in. This will help prevent it from drying out in the oven.
- Turn off crock pot and remove lid. Using two forks, shred chicken directly in crock pot. Take 1 cup of shredded buffalo chicken (or more if you'd like), and mix into mac and cheese in baking dish.
- Take bowl with melted butter and mix panko into it (add more panko if too liquidy). Sprinkle panko/butter mixture over top of of mac and cheese. Drizzle extra red hot over panko if desired.
- Bake for 10 minutes with tin foil. Top with fresh chopped cilantro before serving.