Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Ok, I know it's summer and you don't want some rich casserole, but this is mind-blowing AWESOMENESS!!! And super rich, so plan to spend the night in the bathroom afterwards. NUM!

Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine

* 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
* Kosher salt
* 1 pound elbow macaroni
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 2 stalks celery, finely chopped (I eliminated this)
* 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (also, ground sausage is HELLA GOOD)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's) (I used Tapatio, of course; you may want to reduce this depending on your heat tolerance...this is a spicy dish!)
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons dry mustard
* 2 1/2 cups half-and-half (milk is fine)
* 1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups) (shredded is fine too)
* 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
* 2/3 cup sour cream
* 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
* 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (Optional...I actually put fresh basil and it was yummier)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth. (Keep whisking! This will burn easily!)

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.


This is a simple recipe, but it is very labor and time intensive. Plan accordingly (ie have lots of wine and cheese). I served this with a spinach and prosciutto baked potato which was also awesome and also very rich. It took a few days for my digestive system to return to normal, but my taste buds were dancing for weeks!

Happy Eating!

Love, Your Nuuurd

Chicken with Vegetable Ragout and Polenta

This sounds really fancy, but it's actually a really easy dish that everyone will love. Vegetarians can just remove the chicken and cut down on the cooking time.

________

Chicken with Vegetable Ragout and Polenta

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee and Foodnetwork, 2008
Cook Time: 5 hr 0 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
* 3 cups frozen primavera vegetable medley (recommended: Birds Eye)
* 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (recommended: McCormick)
* 1 (14-ounce) jar pasta sauce
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
* 1/4 cup dry sherry
* 1 (24-ounce) tube pre-made polenta, sliced 1/2-inch thick (recommended: Gennaro)
* Grated Parmesan, for garnish

Directions

Combine frozen vegetable medley in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Place chicken on top of vegetables.

In a large bowl, stir together pasta sauce, tomato paste, garlic and sherry. Pour 2/3 of the sauce over chicken and vegetables. Top the chicken with polenta slices and cover with remaining sauce. Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 4 to 5 hours.

Serve hot with Parmesan.

_________

Easy, right? But it take a long time. Here are my modifications:
I was short on time, so I used my deepest, biggest pan on the stove top. I only had 4 chicken breasts, which I browned in the pan for about 5 minutes with some olive oil. Then I dumped the vegetable, tomato sauce, spice mixture over the chicken and layered the polenta on top of everything. I cooked it, covered, on low heat for an hour and then high heat for about 10 minutes to get it piping hot. It turned out to need a little more salt and pepper, but the sauce was good, the chicken was moist and tender, and the polenta was creamy. It didn't last long. ;)

Hey did you notice the sun? I think we're finally seeing some summer and it's time to talk BBQ! Look for my next entry on how to make your BBQ sing!

Happy Eating in the Sun,

Your Nerd