Comfort food is universally delicious and everyone has a favorite! As the name suggests, comfort food reminds us of simple, home-cooked, satisfying recipes. Who doesn't remember Mom making us macaroni and cheese, and eating buffalo wings with family for the Super Bowl?
What if you could combine two of your favorite comfort foods into one healthy dish? Well, you just hit the jackpot with this Buffalo Mac and Cheese meal prep recipe!
But what makes this buffalo chicken mac and cheese a healthier alternative? Gluten-free pasta, of course! Not only is gluten unhealthy for people with sensitivities or celiac disease, but it adds a lot of carbs to any meal containing the ingredient. If you're one of our many keto advocate readers, this buffalo chicken mac and cheese meal prep recipe is absolutely for you!
If you've made it this far reading, it's safe to assume you're a fan of spicy foods--and just like how everyone has a favorite comfort food, we know you probably have a favorite hot sauce. One of our favorite things about this recipe is that you can add absolutely any hot sauce you please. We encourage you to experiment with a variety of different hot sauces from week to week. Whether you're a Tobasco, Tapatío, Frank's Red Hot, or even a sriracha person, this buffalo chicken mac and cheese meal prep recipe is sure to get you fired up! ?
What do a party size order of of buffalo wings and a healthy, balanced diet have in common? A side of fresh veggies, like carrot and celery sticks! We highly recommend these particular veggies because they make a great, classic pairing with this buffalo chicken mac and cheese meal prep recipe. They'd even fit perfectly in the small compartment of any of these meal prep containers.
Gluten Free Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese Ingredients:
Buffalo Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup hot sauce*
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
- 1 8-ounce box Chickapea Pasta shells (or other gluten free pasta)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¾ cup white cheddar, grated
- ½ cup parmesan, grated
This buffalo chicken mac and cheese meal prep recipe makes 4 servings, and is sure to go over well with kids! Alternatively, 4 servings means you get 4 separate, healthy, keto-friendly prepped meals. Each serving offers a generous 52.4g of protein and only 42.3g of carbs.
Pressed for time? Not a problem, it happens to all of us. This buffalo chicken mac and cheese only takes 20 minutes to prep! That's most certainly a smart time investment, considering how much time you'd normally spend packing a lunch every morning before work.
There are many reasons to love this buffalo mac and cheese recipe, but check out our sun-dried tomato, broccoli, and portobello mushroom mac and cheese recipe as well, if you're looking for a different flavor for your fare. Or, if you just can't get enough buffalo chicken in your life, take a look at our recipe for buffalo chicken stuffed peppers here! Happy meal prepping!
Ingredients
Buffalo Chicken
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 pound Chicken Breast
- salt & pepper as desired
- 1 tbs Butter
- ¼ cup hot sauce
Creamy Mac & Cheese
- 1 box gluten free pasta
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbs arrowroot flour
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¾ cup white cheddar cheese grated
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
To Serve
- Carrots cut into slices
- celerey cut into slices
Instructions
- Boil pasta per package directions. Drain and rinse, then set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken breasts, and season with salt and pepper. Flip, and cook until both sides are browned and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from pan, and chop into bite sized pieces.
- In the skillet, add butter and hot sauce, and then add the chopped chicken. Stir to coat chicken, and then scoop chicken out into a bowl. Do not rinse pan. Leave the hot sauce in the pan to help flavor the cheese sauce.
- In a bowl, whisk milk with arrowroot, sea salt and mustard powder.
- Pour milk mixture into the pan, and continue to whisk as the milk warms and begins to bubble, until the mixture has thickened.
- Add both cheeses, and stir until the cheese has melted into a creamy sauce.
- Add in the cooked pasta, and remove from heat. Stir to evenly coat pasta.
- Serve pasta topped with buffalo chicken and carrots and celery sticks.
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