Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

This winter has been rough with all of the cold and snow, and it has called for some good, hearty meals. One that we have enjoyed has been the Macaroni and Cheese that I received while making my sister's wedding cookbook. Looking to try some other variations of mac and cheese, I was so excited to see my friend Stephanie post this recipe on Facebook. She actually writes a column for the Miami's examiner.com. She posts some amazing recipes, and she's one of my new go-to people (after Martha, of course ;-)). Anyway, this recipe is simply that -- AMAZING! I made a few minor tweaks along the way, but I'm quite impressed!

• 8 oz. of pasta -- half of a box
  (I used penne because I didn't have any casserole macaroni left)

Chicken

• 1 large chicken breast
  (The original recipe called to stir fry it with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 Tbsp, butter and 1 tsp. minced garlic, but I just boiled it on the stove and then added the hot sauce)
• About ¼ cup hot sauce
  (The original recipe called for about a 1/2 cup, but knowing my family isn't into spicy, I cut it down, and it still tasted delicious)

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• ½ cup light cream
  (The original recipe called for 1 1/4 cups of heavy cream. To cut down the calories, I used the light cream, and the following milk)
• ¾ cup fat free Hood Smart Milk
• 2 Tbsp. hot sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• ¼ cup sour cream

Topping

• ¼ cup plain bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente and drain and set aside.
3. Prepare the chicken -- either with the ingredients from the original recipe, or simply boil it. Dice the chicken. Toss the chicken with the ¼ cup hot sauce in a bowl and set aside.
4. Prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and the dried mustard until a smooth paste forms. Whisk in the cream/milk. Once the cream comes to a boil, whisk in the hot sauce, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese. Once the cheeses have melted, add the sour cream.
5. Combine the cooked pasta, diced chicken and cheese sauce.
6. Pour into an 8x8" casserole dish.
7. Prepare the topping by combining the melted butter with the bread crumbs until they bread crumbs are evenly coated with the butter.
8. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over top of pasta.
9. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown.

Yields 6 Servings
Nutritional Information
453.9 Calories, 34.1 Total Fat, 21.2 Saturated Fat, 71.8 Cholesterol, 950.6 Sodium, 39.2 Potassium,
20.3 Total Carbohydrates, 0.9 Dietary Fiber, 4.7 Sugar, 15.2 Protein