Lighter Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Try this Lighter Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Lighter Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt and pepper
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb chicken breasts chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 8 oz gluten-free or regular rotini
- 2 tablespoonsâ gluten-free or all-purposeâ flour
- 1-1/2 cups milk (i used skim)
- 6 oz plain greek yogurt
- 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 laughing cow blue cheese wedges crumbled into pieces
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons buffalo wing sauce divided
- 1/2 cup crushedâ gluten-free rice chex (made from 1 cup che
- Carbohydrate 3.08539182803346 g
- Cholesterol 96.1158384324324 mg
- Fat 21.043778040906 g
- Fiber 0.0251999988555908 g
- Protein 26.4726042858407 g
- Saturated Fat 10.4530928166517 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (200g)
- Sodium 269.434783382151 mg
- Sugar 3.06019182917787 g
- Trans Fat 1.47502913864619 g
- Calories 311 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rotini in a big pot of salted, boiling water until just under al dente. Pasta should still have a bit of a bite to it as it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain then set aside.
- Meanwhile spray a large skillet over medium-high heat with nonstick spray then add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until no longer pink. Remove to a plate then set aside.
- Turn heat down to medium then melt butter in the skillet, add garlic, and saute for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour then whisk until smooth and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in milk while whisking then cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat then add in Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, and Laughing cow cheese. Stir until smooth then stir in 1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce.
- Add cooked pasta and chicken to the skillet then stir to combine. Transfer mixture to an 8x8 baking dish then top with Rice Chex or panko bread crumbs and drizzle over remaining 2 Tablespoons buffalo wing sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and bread crumbs are light golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Buffalo wing sauce carries the primary weight of this dish, providing both the searing acetic kick and the butter-ctuated heat that defines the flavor profile. Integrating that vinegar-heavy liquid directly into dairy requires careful temperature management to prevent the sauce from curdling or separating.
Controlling the Sauce Base
Whisking flour into melted butter and cooking it for exactly one minute eliminates the raw starch taste before cold milk enters the skillet. Pouring milk into the warm roux slowly while whisking continuously prevents lumps from forming in the pan. Turning off the heat entirely before melting the Greek yogurt, cheddar, and blue cheese wedges protects the dairy proteins from seizing under direct thermal shock. Greek yogurt replaces heavy cream here, offering high protein content and thick body while keeping the fat levels moderate.Baking and Textural Integrity
Cooking the rotini until it remains just under al dente ensures the pasta absorbs excess moisture during the final 350-degree oven phase without turning mushy. Crushed Rice Chex or bread crumbs scattered across the top create a crunchy contrast against the soft pasta noodles underneath. Drizzling the remaining buffalo wing sauce over the crumb topping right before baking targets the exposed cereal pieces with concentrated flavor. Allowing the casserole to rest for five minutes after baking lets the internal starches set, making portioning much cleaner. Leftovers keep well in an airtight refrigerator container for up to three days, though the crunchy topping softens over time.
