Easy Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

 

Oh my goodness gracious kids, I just made this wonderful dish the easiest way possible! 

To give you an overview of its simplicity, there are just 3 steps: boil the pasta, broil the chicken, and melt the cheese in the microwave. 

There is homemade Buffalo sauce too, but that only involves melting butter and mixing it with 2 bottles of Louisiana hot sauce. 

Serve with Good Ranch Dressing and Limoncello La Croix!

Serves 8, as 2 heaping cupful’s per person.

This is the first time I've ever done this, but I decided to include the cost break down, if you had to buy ALL of the ingredients, at the bottom of this post. Spoiler: It ends up being $35.27 for all of the ingredients, or $4.41 per meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken tenderloins. 
• 2 pounds Ditalini Pasta. 
• 1 pound cheddar cheese. 
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese. 
• 1 pound American cheese (not individually wrapped). 
• 3 cups of milk. 
• 2 bottles (6 oz.) Louisiana hot sauce. 
• 1 stick of unsalted butter. 
• 1 quart cultured low-fat buttermilk (optional). 

Directions:

1. This step is optional, but I'm picky about the weird game-y taste in poultry, so I believe this step reduces it, but I'm not certain. It's also supposed to help tenderize the meat, but I'm not convinced of that either. Pour the buttermilk and the chicken into a 16 cup storage container with a lid, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. 
2. If you didn't do the first step, that's okay. Whether you did, or not, this is the next step. Preheat the oven to broil, although it will never actually preheat. Just make sure it's heating up on the broil setting for a couple of minutes. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil, and place all of your chicken tenders, one by one, on the foil. 
3. Broil for 12 minutes. 
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. 
5. If you did the buttermilk marinade, rinse all of your chickies off under the tap, and transfer them to a cutting board to be cut into bite-sized pieces. If you didn't do the buttermilk method, just cut them into bite-sized pieces - no need to rinse them. 
6. Transfer to a bowl with lid. Probably a 5-cup sized bowl. 
7. Use a large pot and cook 2 packages of Ditalini pasta according to the instructions on the package. Or, fill a 10 quart pot with 6 quarts of water and heat on high until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-high, and add pasta. Stir. 
8. Set a timer for 10 minutes, and stir pretty regularly for the first 2 minutes. 
9. Drain the pasta in the sink and pour half of it into a 4 quart storage bowl with lid, and the other half into another 4 quart storage bowl with lid. 
10. Now make the cheese sauce. Cut the mozzarella, cheddar and American cheeses into 1 inch cubes. Put them into a 2.5 quart microwave-safe bowl, and add 3 cups of milk. 
11. Microwave the cheese for 2 minutes. Stir. 
12. Microwave the cheese for 2 more minutes. Stir. 
13. Microwave the cheese for 2 more minutes. Stir. 
14. Microwave the cheese for 2 more minutes. Stir. 
15. I actually lost count on whether I nuked this for 2 more minutes, or not (I'm 99% sure it had 10 total minutes), but you can tell when the cheese is fully melted and incorporated. 
16. Use a ladle, or dry measuring cup to pour this cheese evenly over both bowls of pasta. Stir well. After it has been stirred well, you can combine both mac+cheese's to the same 4 quart storage bowl. 
17. Now make the Buffalo sauce! Melt 1 stick of butter in a 2.5 quart microwave safe bowl in the microwave for 1 minute. Use a whisk to whirl it together. Then add both bottles of hot sauce. Whisk again. 
18. Store the macaroni+cheese, buffalo sauce, and shredded chicken separately in the fridge until ready to serve. 
19. When ready to serve, scoop out 2 cups of mac+cheese per person into a serving bowl. Microwave that on high for 2 minutes. Stir. Then top with 1/3 cup of chicken and 1/3 cup of buffalo sauce. Return to microwave and cook for 1 additional minute. Serve!

 

Cost break-down using Walmart as the grocer.  Jan 16, 2021 

• 2 pounds chicken tenderloins $6.16 x 2 = $12.32 (as 2 packages of 0.8 to 1.2 pounds per package). 
• 2 pounds Ditalini Pasta $1.28 x 2 = $2.56. 
• 1 pound cheddar cheese $3.57. 
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese $3.57. 
• 1 pound American cheese (not individually wrapped) $3.37. 
• 3 cups of milk $2.47 (for 1 quart). 
• 2 bottles (6 oz.) Louisiana hot sauce $0.98 x 2 = $1.96. 
• 1 stick of unsalted butter $2.98 (4 sticks). 
• 1 quart cultured low-fat buttermilk (optional) $2.47. 

Grand Total = $35.27 or $4.41 per meal.