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This Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is the best combo of two classic dishes! Baked macaroni and cheese plus buffalo chicken and sautéed veggies, all mixed together with a cheddar and Greek yogurt buffalo cheese sauce!
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You guys know I love me some buffalo chicken anything! This is a classic favorite flavor of mine and I’ll take any opportunity to combine it with other dishes. For example:
- Buffalo Chicken Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs & Quinoa
- Buffalo Deviled Eggs
- Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bake
I don’t know how I didn’t arrive at my next stop sooner, but here we are, and I’m so excited. Introducing, Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese!
I added some veggies, stuck with my Greek yogurt cheese sauce concoction, and threw in some buffalo chicken magic. Please enjoy!
What’s in this Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese?
Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients in the buffalo chicken mac and cheese:
- macaroni – Obviously essential for mac and cheese
- onion, carrots, and celery – The backbone of any good meal, but I especially love it with these veggies with the buffalo chicken flavors
- boneless skinless chicken breasts – Sautéed with the veggies so you don’t even have to use another pan!
- butter or ghee – Use to make the basic roux for the cheese sauce, along with the all-purpose flour
- milk – To reduce the total dairy in an already dairy heavy dish, I actually use unsweetened plain almond milk in my mac and cheese. With so many other flavors, I promise you can’t taste the almond milk at all. Please use your preferred milk!
- cheddar cheese – Fresh grated cheddar cheese can’t be beat!
- Greek yogurt – This is what I use in place of any heavy cream or other thickener. Greek yogurt is a lot easier on my stomach, plus this adds lots of protein to the dish.
- Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce – Favorite sauce. If I had to pick on sauce to be stranded on an island with, it would be buffalo sauce.
- Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning – This adds the best flavor compliments to the buffalo chicken. Buffalo + ranch is a classic combo! I get my Ranch powder in bulk at Costco, but you can also use half a packet here.
- garlic powder, salt & pepper – Seasonings for the best buffalo chicken mac and cheese ever!
How do you make the Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese?
Simple breakdown, here we go:
- Cook the macaroni noodles and set them aside.
- Sauté the veggies, add the chicken and keep sautéing until the chicken is cooked. Set the mixture aside.
- Make the sauce using the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the cooked noodles and chicken/veg mixture in with the sauce and mix.
- Add to a casserole dish, add cheese on top, and bake! YUM.
Can you taste the Greek yogurt?
No, I promise you can’t taste the Greek yogurt! It gets completely covered up by the rest of the flavors in the dish, and actually helps mellow out the buffalo sauce.
Why use Greek yogurt in mac and cheese?
Plus, the addition of Greek yogurt means you don’t have to use any heavy cream! For some reason, my stomach does a lot better with Greek yogurt than heavy cream!
I’ve also used this method in another delicious mac and cheese recipe – Kimchi Bacon Greek Yogurt Mac and Cheese! You should also give that one a try.
If you need another use for your leftover Greek yogurt, try my Whipped Greek Yogurt! There are also some variations – Strawberry Whipped Greek Yogurt, Pumpkin Spice Whipped Greek Yogurt, and more!
How can this Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese be prepared ahead?
There are a couple different options for prep ahead depending on your goals, so I’ll do my best to lay them out here:
- Make and eat as leftovers: As with most recipes on Project Meal Plan, you can completely make the recipe as written, then reheat any portions for eating within the next 4 days. Reheat portions in the microwave, covered, for 90 seconds to 2 minutes; OR in a cold oven preheating to 350F for about 20-25 minutes.
- Make and refrigerate to cook later: Make the recipe up until just before the final baking stage. Cover with a lid or foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Bake in a 400F oven for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160F and the cheese is bubbly.
- Make and freeze to cook later: I have NOT tried freezing this dish, but I do think it’s possible. Here’s what I would do: Make the recipe up until just before the final baking stage in a freezer to oven safe dish. Let it cool completely, then cover with a lid or wrap tightly in foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake in a 350F oven for 55-65 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160F and the cheese is bubbly.
How long does this meal last in the refrigerator?
This meal is good for up to 4 days in the refrigerator!
How do I reheat the mac and cheese?
Reheat refrigerated portions in the microwave, covered, for 90 seconds to 2 minutes; OR in a cold oven preheating to 350F for about 20-25 minutes. Stir, check the temperature, and add additional time if needed.
More delicious dinner recipes from Project Meal Plan:
- Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch Kale Casserole
- Simple Whole Roast Chicken
- Homemade Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes
Did you make this? I want to see how it turned out! Tag me in your social media post @projectmealplan and use #projectmealplan when you share!
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
This Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is the best combo of two classic dishes! Baked macaroni and cheese plus buffalo chicken and sautéed veggies, all mixed together with a cheddar and Greek yogurt buffalo cheese sauce! Seconds are a must for this not-too-spicy dish everyone will love!
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry macaroni noodles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite sized chunks
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 + 3/4 cups plain dairy or non-dairy milk
- 2 + 1/2 cups freshly grated medium cheddar cheese (divided)
- 1 cup 2% Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning (.5 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- about 1/2 teaspoon each salt & pepper, more to season
- optional: crushed crackers for topping
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni: Heat several quarts of water in a large stockpot over high heat, and cook noodles according to package directions until just barely al dente, the minimum cook time on the package. Drain and set aside in a strainer, adding a few drops of oil or cold water and stirring to ensure they don’t stick together. Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Cook the chicken & veggies: In a large skillet or Dutch Oven (use it for baking the mac and cheese too!), heat oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, celery and carrot, and a small dash of salt. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are soft. Add the chicken and a large dash of salt. Continue to cook for another 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and veggies from the pan and set aside.
- Make the sauce: Reduce heat to medium low. Return the same pan to heat and melt the butter. Add flour to the pan and whisk continuously until the butter and flour have thickened (around 90 seconds). Add the milk, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking continuously until completely added. Let the milk heat for about 2 minutes, while you continue to whisk. Add cheese (reserve 1/2 cup for topping), and whisk continuously as it melts. Add greek yogurt, buffalo sauce, Ranch seasoning, garlic powder and pepper, and continue to whisk until a smooth sauce has formed (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.
- Put it together: Add the cooked macaroni, and the cooked chicken veggie mixture to the pot with the sauce. Stir until well-mixed. Pour everything into a 9×13 inch casserole pan (or leave it in the same pan if you used a Dutch oven!). Top with remaining cheese and optional crushed crackers. Bake in the preheated 425F oven for 13-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and top is golden to your liking (a couple minutes under the broiler is good too!). Enjoy immediately or refrigerate and enjoy as leftover for up to 4 days.
Equipment
Lodge 6 qt Cast Iron Dutch Oven
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Rubbermaid High Heat Spatula Scraper
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Notes
Make and refrigerate to cook later: Make the recipe up until just before the final baking stage. Cover with a lid or foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Bake in a 400F oven for about 25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160F and the cheese is bubbly.
Milk: I use unsweetened plain almond milk in my mac and cheese. Feel free to use dairy milk or whatever you prefer. Chicken: Use leftover chicken by skipping the chicken cooking step and sauteing the veggies a bit longer. Add the cooked bite sized chicken in before baking. Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/8 of dish
- Calories: 499
- Sugar: 3g
- Fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 32g
Did you make this Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese? How did it turn out? I’d love to see what you made! Tag me in your post so I can see your creation, or use #projectmealplan to share!
Lorie says
I haven’t made this YET but I’m definitely going to soon I’m just going to find out if I can put my enameled topless Dutch oven in my airfryer & @ what temp I’ll b super happy 😁😁