Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

I decided to combine two of my most favorite foods and hit pay-dirt! Who doesn't love homemade macaroni and cheese? OK, my oldest son doesn't care for it, but still......you can't deny that most people can't pass up a dish of mac & cheese. There's a reason it's known as "comfort food". Then there's buffalo chicken. There hasn't been a single time when I've gone out to eat and ordered buffalo wings or tenders when I didn't end up only wanting more. They're tasty, do doubt! But not the most filling of dishes. For me, the union of these two treats was nothing less than a taste of heaven here on earth!

Directions:
First, you'll want to prepare your chicken tenders to fry up later.
Combine 1/2 cup flour with 1/4 tsp. paprika, 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper and 1/4 tsp salt in a sm. bowl and mix well.
Cut 10 thawed chicken tender into 1 inch chunks and put in lg. bowl. Pour flour mixture over the chicken chunks and toss to coat. Place coated chicken in a single layer on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for about an hour. This will help the coating to stick to the chicken when frying.
Heat vegetable oil in skillet (just enough to cover the meat) to med-hi heat (375 degrees). Fry chicken for about 10 to 15 minutes, but don't overcook! Place chicken on paper towels to drain.

Mac & Cheese
Ingredients:
16 oz. lg. elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
Pinch of black pepper
4 cups milk
4 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup pepper jack cheese (shredded)

Cook macaroni according to pkg. directions.
In a deep saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper then slowly add the milk stirring constantly.
Stir in the cheese until melted.
Drain macaroni and add to cheese sauce, gently stirring to coat.
Pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan or dish.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Buffalo Sauce:
Combine 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot pepper sauce, dash of pepper and a dash of garlic powder in a saucepan and heat until butter is melted and everything is well blended. Add chicken to buffalo sauce and lightly toss to coat.
Pour buffalo chicken and sauce across the top of the mac & cheese and bake @ 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Enjoy!!