Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Do you ever think of two of your favorite foods and think of how good they would be together? Probably not, it is kind of weird, but don't know it until you have tried it. I love my recipe for the Best Homemade Mac n' Cheese and you can't beat the Buffalo Chicken recipe, so I was thinking why not add them together? I already do a variation of chicken and macaroni and cheese in my Twisted Mac n' Cheese recipe and I love it, so this has to be great too. And ya know what, a star was born.

This macaroni and cheese has all of your favorite components from mac and cheese, the pasta, the creamy cheese sauce, and lots of additional cheese combined with the spicy buffalo sauce, ranch mix, chicken, and cream cheese. It's so good it can't be bad, ever.
Source: macaroni from, Alton Brown. Buffaloized by, The Barbee Housewife

Ingredients:
3-4 Chicken Breast
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1/2 lb. Macaroni
3 tablespoons of Butter
3 tablespoons of Flour
1 tablespoon of Powdered Mustard
3 Cups of Milk
1 bay Leaf
1/2 teaspoon of Paprika
1/2 package of Ranch Dressing Mix
6 ounces of Colby Jack Cheese, shredded
6 ounces of Italian Cheese Mix, shredded
4 oz. of Cream Cheese, softened
2 cups of Hot Sauce, Louisiana or Frank's
Salt and Pepper
1 cup of Sharp Cheddar, shredded for topping

Directions:
First, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Next, season the chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper.  Drizzle the olive oil in a baking dish and place the chicken on top. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. When the chicken is done cut into small pieces or throw it into your stand mixer and turn it on to shred it quickly.

Now, while the chicken is baking, prepare your pasta, according to the package, al dente. When done, drain, and set aside.

Next, in a medium size saucepan melt the butter, when melted add in the flour and mustard and whisk until combined. Stir in the milk, bay leaf, ranch dressing mix and paprika, let this simmer for ten minutes.

Now, stir in the cream cheese until it has melted. After that, add the rest of the cheeses, stirring until well combined. When combined stir in the hot sauce.

Finally, in a large baking dish combine the pasta, cheese sauce, and chicken.  Mix throughly. Top with the shredded cheddar and bake for 20 minutes.

Let this rest for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife