Baked Buffalo Chicken Pasta

I know I said that I don't cook a whole lot during the summer, but sometimes you've just got to. Especially when you notice that your fiance has been eating cold cereal for dinner more often then not. We've been very busy, and most weeknights get home so late that there isn't much time to fuss with dinner. Still, I'm a big believer in lots of vegetables and protein, and don't think that cereal really satisfies either of those categories. I'm also pretty old fashioned when it comes to cooking for my man. We may both be the breadwinners, but it is very satisfying to serve a healthy home cooked meal to Pat when he comes home from work- good for the body and the heart! All that being said, this home cooked meal did not contain any vegetables, and it isn't the healthiest of meals, but Pat loves buffalo chicken. I'd say a bowl of cheesy buffalo chicken pasta trumps a bowl of cereal.

This recipe is fairly quick to prepare, and its one of those dishes that tastes even better the second day when the flavors have really come together.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare water for pasta and cook according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, and once it’s melted and bubbly add the flour. Whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture gets a bit golden in color. 

Roux - French for "red" - it is a thickener for sauces and soups that uses equal parts flour and butter. For more information, check this out.

Add milk, stir and turn down heat to low. Continue stirring until milk thickens. 

Add in grated cheeses and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. 

Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed (I added some fresh ground pepper but no salt).

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Add pasta and chicken, then pour cheese sauce over and mix thoroughly until everything is coated. 

Sprinkle with additional grated cheese and bread crumbs. 

Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and top with blue cheese crumbles and drizzle with buffalo wing sauce.

Baked Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is.

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta (I used bow ties)
• About 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 ounces Monterrey jack cheese shredded, plus extra for topping
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping
• 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce, plus extra for topping
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles (for garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare water for pasta and cook according to directions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, and once it’s melted and bubbly add the flour. Whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture gets a bit golden in color. 
3. Add milk, stir and turn down heat to low. Continue stirring until milk thickens. 
4. Add in grated cheeses and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. 
5. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
6. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Add pasta and chicken, then pour cheese sauce over and mix thoroughly until everything is coated. Sprinkle with additional grated cheese and bread crumbs.
7. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven and top with blue cheese crumbles and drizzle with buffalo wing sauce.

*Note - I left this dish in the oven at a low heat after it was done baking to keep it warm until Pat got home. The top layer of pasta got a little crispier than I wanted, so I would advise covering in tin foil if you need to keep this warm so it doesn't dry out.

This dish was spicy! I ate mine with a large glass of milk to put out the fires in my mouth. Pat didn't have a problem with the heat (his tolerance is higher than mine) and really enjoyed the meal! As I mentioned, this keeps really well, and we had leftovers for a couple days. Hopefully this will hold him over until I can find some time to cook again!