Buffalo Mac

Your fairy Godmother forwarded me this recipe a few months saying this had our family written all over it. She was right.

3/4# bacon
1# chicken tenderloins
1/2 C. beer
1# dry elbow macaroni
1 stick unsalted butter, plus 2 T.
1 T. minced garlic
1/3 C. flour
3 C. whole milk, plus 2 T.
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 C. grated white Cheddar
3 C. grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 C. crumbled bleu cheese
1 egg
2 T. vegetable oil
2/3 C. hot sauce (I use Frank's Wing Sauce)
1 C. panko bread crumbs

Arrange the bacon on an aluminum foil lined sheet pan and bake until crisp, about 22 minutes. Allow to cool and coarsely chop.

Put the chicken and beer in a large bowl and let marinate, at room temperature, for 20 minutes.

Cook macaroni as directed; drain and set aside.

Melt 1/2 C. butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; whisk in the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden. Whisk in 1/3 C. flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in 3 C. milk, the salt and pepper, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Add 2 C. of Cheddar and 2 C. of mozzarella (reserving additional cheese for topping) and stir until melted, about 2 minutes.

Stir the cheese sauce, bleu cheese and bacon into the macaroni until well combined; pour evenly into buttered 9x13 baking dish and smooth the surface.

Drain the beer from the chicken tenderloins and heat the oil in a large skillet over medium- saute the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Add the chicken and hot sauce to a large bowl and toss until well coated. Carefully slice the chicken into bite-sized strips.

Evenly top the macaroni with the sliced chicken, and drizzle with additional hot sauce, if desired. Sprinkle remaining 1 C. of white Cheddar and the remaining 1 C. of mozzarella cheese over the top of the chicken and sprinkle with the panko bread crumbs. Melt the remaining 2 T. butter and drizzle it evenly over the bread crumbs.

Bake @ 400* until golden brown and bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes.

{LDM}