Buffalo Chicken Macaroni Cheese

preparation

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 225° C. Cook the Cavatappi pasta according to the packet instructions in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente.

2. Cut the chicken into cubes and finely dice the red onion and garlic. Fry in a bit of olive oil until the chicken is golden and the onion is translucent. Add plain flour and stir until you get a paste. Slowly add milk while stirring, bring to a boil and let it simmer for 6-7 minutes.

3. Turn the heat to medium, add chipotle hot sauce and smoked paprika. Grate Castello® Tickler Mature Cheddar and add to the sauce along with Castello® Danablu (50 g). Stir until the cheese has melted and you have a nice smooth sauce.

4. Drain the pasta and add to the cheese sauce. Carefully stir and season with salt, pepper and lemon zest. Pour into a coated baking dish and top with the rest of the crumbled Castello® Danish Blue.

5. Bake for 20 minutes at 225° C.

Get creative with your dish

Notes of heat and sweetness make up the flavours of the buffalo chicken and stand in perfect contrast of the mild and buttery flavours from the cheese sauce. Together, they rush over each other in calm waves, and build toward a warming and creamy finish. Our Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese strikes the perfect balance between spicy and velvety, and will have guests coming back for more. Jazz up Friday, or begin the week with some spice, without spending forever in the kitchen. Both cheese and chicken are incredibly versatile and sit great with other vegetables and ingredients – with buffalo macaroni and cheese, you will never run out of possibilities.

Picking the right cheese

If the chicken is the soul of the dish, the cheese is surely the heart. Pairing your chicken with the right cheese is key to the outcome of your macaroni and cheese. To ensure a sensation of depth and counterbalance to the warmth of the buffalo chicken, our recipe calls for two cheeses. Each one has its own iconic characteristics and traits, and help develop a rich and smooth texture. Our Castello® Danablu cheese engages you with luscious notes of cream and slight bitterness, and serves to perfectly balance out the sweet warmth and bite from the chili peppers. Bringing everything together into one seamlessly silky sensation is our Castello® Tickler Mature Cheddar, providing the famous macaroni and cheese flavour. Matured Cheddar crumbles easily, and makes for a perfect coating of your macaroni, since it melts and spreads evenly. Our Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is, put simply, too good to pass up on.