Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

I was going to do Spaghetti and Buffalo Chicken Meatballs but I decided I wanted more of a casserole type dish since it is Taekwondo night. This turned out delicious and super easy to make ahead of time to throw in the oven.










1lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente and drained well

Buffalo Chicken:

1 lb ground chicken (Ok I accidentally took out grd turkey, but it worked just fine!)
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 small carrots, julienne cut or sliced thin
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup(plus/minus to your tastes) Hot Sauce(Frank's Tabasco, Louisiana)
1/2 tsp paprika
salt, black pepper and extra cayenne pepper to taste



Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour OR 3 TB corn or potato starch
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup fresh parmesan
1/3 cup ranch (or bleu cheese) dressing
* optional for an extra kick, add 1-2 TB (or more) hot sauce!



Chicken:
Gently mix together chicken with celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, hot sauce, paprika and seasonings...










In a pan over medium heat cook the chicken ingredients, breaking apart gently. Cook until no pink remains. Set aside.











Sauce:
Melt butter over medium heat, add flour and whisk well.....(If you are using starch, whisk directly into the milk instead of adding to butter)

Add milk to the butter and cook/whisk until thickened.







Add cheeses and dressing(and extra hot sauce if using), whisk well.










In a 9 x 13 greased dish mix cooked pasta, chicken mixture and sauce. Toss together well.

Top with some extra cheeses if you like, and a squirt more of hot sauce too.








Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.