Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water and cook your pasta according to the package until al dente (do not over cook the pasta as it will cook some more in the sauce). When done, set aside and mix with a splash of oil to prevent clumping. For the noodle, I used rigatoni FYI and recommend.
2. In a large oven-safe pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Once fully melted, whisk in 4 tablespoons of flour. Whisk for approximately 2 minutes over low heat until there are no lumps left.
3. Over medium-low heat, slowly pour in the milk and whisk as you do. I do this in four incremenents: 1/2 cup of milk, whisk, 1/2 cup of milk, whisk…
4. Optionally preheat your oven to 450F (230C).
5. Add the grated cheese and stir until fully melted. Add the cream cheese and again, stir until melted. Pour in the Buffalo sauce and stir to combine.
6. Add in the shredded chicken. I use a rotisserie chicken and pull off approximately 1 1/2 cups of pieces.
7. Mix in the cooked pasta and finally for an optional last step, place the oven-safe pan into the oven for 3-4 minutes until the pasta is golden on top and bubbling.
8. Optionally serve with ranch and black pepper. Enjoy!