This was not only amazing because of it's deliciousness, but *also* because we were able to make it without 'Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce'. Every recipe I found suggested Franks. Franks, Franks, Franks. Well, I'm in Holland; there is no Franks. Instead we used a Dutch brand's 'Tex Mex' Hot Sauce. The ingredients made for a good substitute and we used creative discretion with Cayenne Pepper, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder; to complete the 'Tex Mex' to 'Buffalo' Sauce transition. Substituting is the name of the game when cooking in foreign lands :)
I have to make a special point for one of the best features of this recipe, the two kinds of bread crumb toppings! Absolutely delicious!! Definitely something we'll be throwing into future recipes.
Here you have it! Our 'International Buffalo and Blue Mac n' Cheese'!
(Serves 8 to 10)
3/4 lb elbow macaroni
2 cups *special hot sauce
8 T. unsalted butter
2 Chicken Breasts; cooked and shredded
1/4 cup flour
4 cups low-fat milk, heated to a simmer
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 oz white medium/sharp cheese, grated
8 oz white mild cheese, grated
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 cup bread crumbs
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
*Franks red hot is recommended, but improvisation can be equally delicious
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and the pasta, and cook. Drain and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat the hot sauce and 5 T. butter, and swirl together to incorporate. Reserve 1 cup of the buffalo sauce and set aside. Add the remaining sauce to the shredded chicken and mix well. Set aside until needed.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Melt the remaining 3 T. butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour to make a roux and whisk until it is nice and smooth. Cook for a couple minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor, but do not allow the roux to brown. Add the hot milk a little at a time, whisking in between each addition, until all of it has been added. Cook, constantly whisking, about 5 to 8 more minutes on medium heat until thickened, allowing it to bubble and simmer, but not come up to a full boil. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and whisk in the shredded cheeses, a little at a time until completely combined.
Once the cheeses are all combined and melted, add the pasta and stir to coat. It will be very cheesy and very saucy. Fold in the celery and shredded buffalo chicken. Pour the pasta mixture into a 3-quart shallow baking dish. Drizzle 1/2 of the reserved buffalo sauce over the top.
Add 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs to a small mixing bowl and add the garlic and blue cheese. Use your fingers to cut the blue cheese chunks into the bread crumbs as if you're making biscuits, yielding a mixture of pea-sized blue cheese/bread crumb chunks. Add the remaining buffalo sauce and combine. Crumble the mixture over the top of the casserole.
In the same small mixing bowl, add the remaining bread crumbs and olive oil and mix to combine. Distribute the bread crumb mixture over the pasta. You now have a double crust of blue cheese-buffalo-bread crumbs, and regular bread crumbs. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until nice and bubbly, and golden brown. Allow the pasta to cool for a minute before serving, as it will be extremely hot.
Enjoy!
