We took two of everyone's favorite comfort foods, fried chicken tenders and mac and cheese, made a homemade roux, fired up the Traeger, and blew everyone away with this INSANE Smoked Fried Chicken Buffalo Mac and Cheese!
CLICK HERE to watch Kosmo make this incredible dish!
Ingredients
Let's get right into it! Preheat smoker to 325ºF (165ºC). On your stove top, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt while it boils.
Wash and thinly slice your green onions, and cube the chicken tenders. Sprinkle those with Killer Bee Honey to your taste, then toss in Buffalo HOT Wing Sauce until well coated. Set aside.
Time to make the roux! Take a small pot and set your stovetop to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons each of: butter, AP flour, and minced garlic. Whisk until roux develops, then slowly add in 2 cups of heavy cream and continue whisking.
With the sauce at a simmer, add 1/2 teaspoon each of Killer Bee and SPG, and continue whisking. While you whisk add 1 cup of shredded mozzarella and 1 cup of shredded cheddar, but make sure to give it time to become part of the sauce before you add more. Turn the stovetop to low and set aside, come back and stir occasionally.
Once water in your large pot is boiling, add 3 cups of elbow macaroni to the water and boil for about 7 minutes. Pasta needs to be slightly undercooked before going on smoker.
Save 1 cup of the pasta water, strain the macaroni and rinse with cold water (to stop the cooking process). Pour 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water into the cheese sauce and combine. If your sauce tastes too rich, add more water.
Return the drained pasta to the pot it was boiled in, and add in about half of your cheese sauce, gently stirring until all the macaroni is covered.
Time to build the layers in your cast iron skillet! Spoon a layer of macaroni in the bottom of your skillet. Cover with half of the cubed chicken tenders. Add a light sprinkle of shredded mozzarella cheese, and drizzle with a light coat of Buffalo HOT Wing Sauce. Repeat these steps one more time. For an extra crispy top layer, use more mozzarella cheese.
Put the skillet into your grill/smoker at 325ºF (~165ºC) for 15-20 minutes. Add a sprinkle of bread crumbs and bacon bits to your top layer.
For the last part, crank your grill to high (or broil in your oven) for 5-15 minutes. Watch closely so the top doesn’t burn. Pull it out of the cooker when ready, and garnish the top with Buffalo HOT Wing dust or Buffalo Wing Dust and fresh green onions and enjoy!
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