Buffalo Chicken Bacon Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

• 500 g Radiatori pasta or elbow macaroni
• 375 g thin sliced bacon
• 1 rotisserie-roasted chicken
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 2 cups Cheddar shredded cheese
• 2 cups 4-Cheese Italiano shredded cheese
• 150 g crumbled Gorgonzola cheese or other blue cheese
• 1/2 cup hot sauce (or more to taste) such as Sambal Oelek (Ground Fresh Chili Paste), Sriracha Sauce, Rooster Sauce, or Frank's® Redhot®
• pinch ground black pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite. Drain.
2. Cut the bacon strips into one-inch pieces and fry until crisp.
3. Cut wings and legs off a rotisserie chicken. Skin and bone wings and legs; chop or shred dark meat into bite-size pieces.
4. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in flour gradually until a thick paste forms. Cook until golden, about 1 minute. Pour in milk, whisking constantly, until thickened and bubbling about 5 minutes. Continue to cook until sauce is smooth, about 1 minute more. Reduce heat and season sauce with black pepper.
5. Stir Cheddar and Italiano shredded cheeses into the sauce until melted and combined.
6. Stir in hot sauce, adjusting to reach the desired level of spiciness.
7. Add Gorgonzola cheese, chicken, bacon, and macaroni. Mix well to combine.