Buffalo chicken. Quinoa. Mac and cheese. Have you ever heard so many glorious words together at once? My love for buffalo chicken is no secret. Nor is my obsession with quinoa. Throw in some mac and cheese? Sure, why not!

When I saw this recipe, I was immediately drooling, and managed to wait only about 8 hours before driving to the grocery store for supplies.

Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Mac and Cheese

(adapted from Iowa Girl Eats)

• 1 1/4 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 2 medium chicken breasts
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp buffalo sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Preheat the broiler. Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside. Season chicken breast on both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and cook in a non-stick sprayed skillet over medium heat until cooked all the way through. Chop into bite sized pieces and set aside.

In a large saute pan, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup milk over medium heat. Once combined, add remaining milk and green onions. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and  cook for one minute.

Remove the pan from the heat and add in buffalo sauce and cheddar cheese.

Stir until the cheese is melted, then add cooked quinoa and chicken, and stir to combine.

Pour into a non-stick sprayed baking dish and sprinkle blue cheese on top. Broil for 5-7 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbly.

I served the quinoa with broccoli (as did the original recipe creator) and it was the perfect vehicle for scooping up all the cheesy goodness. Think about how good cheesy broccoli is. Now imagine buffalo chicken cheesy broccoli. Yup. Amazing.

This may be my least healthy preparation of quinoa thus far, but MAN is it worth it. Words can’t even describe how good this is.

Make. Now.