Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

So, you know from my previous posts that I have no love affair for slow cooker recipes – but you also know that I have figured out that I have been thinking about them all wrong.  For a working mom, the slow cooker’s benefit is when you want to make a meal on the weekend with less effort OR when you need to keep something warm.

The second reason is how I ended up making Slow-Cooker Buffalo Mac & Cheese.  I was trying to think of something to bring to my work’s holiday pot luck. It’s always a challenge due to not having a decent way to warm things up.  We have a microwave, but it’s not that big, and only certain dishes can stand the reheating of the microwave without turning to mush.

I had made a traditional macaroni and cheese once, but even with warming pads, it was luke warm when we ate it.  I had been wanting to make this Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese for a pot luck because it makes so much and is so rich, it was too much to make for a regular week-night meal.  One of the other food blogs that I read had featured a slow cooker macaroni and cheese – I wasn’t that impressed, it seemed like it had all the work and time involved as baked M&C, so I didn’t see the point.  Until I needed some way to keep my M&C hot!

So, I took the recipe for Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese, and I made some changes to cook it in the slow cooker, and it came out great!  I got lots of compliments, and I decided that I’d make it this way all the time.  Just recently, our wonderful family child care had its annual summer pool party pot luck, and this is what I made.

I won’t lie to you, there are several steps and dishes involved in this recipe, but it’s totally worth it!

Sorry, I don’t have a pretty picture of a serving of the finished product because it was eaten all up before I could snap one.  Trust me, you have to bring this to your next pot luck!

Slow Cooker Buffalo Mac & Cheese

I modified the original recipe to be cooked in a slow cooker/crock pot.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins

Servings 10

Ingredients

  

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for the dish
• kosher salt
• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery finely chopped
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2/3 cup hot sauce divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 lb yellow sharp cheddar cheese cut into 1-inch cubes ( about 3 1/2 cups)
• 8 ounces monterey jack pepper cheese shredded ( about 2 cups)
• 2/3 cup blue cheese dressing
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

 

• Butter a large (2-3 qt) slow cooker.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes or so. Drain.
• Meanwhile, melt 3 T. 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 1/3 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.
• Melt 2 T. butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half & half, then add the remaining 1/3 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the blue cheese dressing until smooth.
• Spread half of the macaroni in the slow cooker, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni, then pour the cheese sauce evenly on top. Lightly shake the cooker to help the sauce penetrate to the bottom.
• Put the remaining 2 T. butter in a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko crumbs, blue cheese and parsley.
• Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Notes

1. I used Velveeta cheese for the “yellow sharp cheese”.
2. I cooked my own chicken instead of using a rotisserie chicken. I just cooked 2 large chicken breasts in hot sauce.
3. This makes a lot – it’s a great pot luck dish or invite some people over to help you eat it.