Dave’s Hot Chicken Mac And Cheese Recipe

My Dave’s Hot Chicken Mac And Cheese Recipe began in a parking lot. I sat on my car hood in a light September drizzle with a tray of Medium tenders and a small cup of mac. The cup was empty first.

Most copycats miss in the same place. Home versions treat the dish as plain baked pasta and ignore the fiery chicken beside it. Others bake until the pan turns stiff and dry.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is the Nashville-style chain that began as a 2017 parking-lot pop-up in East Hollywood. It is known for seven heat levels, and the top one, Reaper, needs a signed waiver.

Should Copycat Mac and Cheese Be Baked?

That is the argument I keep having with friends. The chain’s mac reads as a loose, gooey scoop, not a crusted casserole. Purists say baking is the wrong copy.

Online reviews push back hard on that softness. One diner said the real mac needed more crunch, closer to the fried crust on the tenders beside it.

They have a point on texture. A stovetop pot stays glossier and looser than any pan pulled from an oven. That route has its own section further down.

I still bake mine. Twenty-two minutes at 360°F sets a thin sauce and a bubbling top. The reserved cheese browns into a crisp lid.

Ingredients for Dave’s Hot Chicken Mac And Cheese Recipe

14 oz (400 g) elbow macaroni: The small hollow tubes trap sauce inside, which straight shapes cannot do. Barilla is my usual box. Pull it 2 minutes early so it finishes cooking in the oven. Cavatappi swaps in well. Cook it by its own box time, minus 2 minutes.

1 cup (115 g) sharp cheddar: Cheddar brings the tang and most of the orange color. Cabot sharp yellow is my pick. Grate it from a block, because bagged shreds carry anti-caking starch that leaves the sauce slightly gritty.

¾ cup (85 g) Gruyère: It melts smooth and adds a nutty base under the cheddar. I buy Emmi from the cheese counter at Whole Foods and grate it that same day. Comté works well in place of it. Swiss is milder, so the pan tastes a bit plainer.

¾ cup (85 g) low-moisture mozzarella: Mozzarella adds the stretch and gooey pull, with little flavor of its own. A Galbani block shreds cleanly. Fresh mozzarella in water releases liquid and thins the sauce, so keep it out of this pan.

4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter: Butter and flour cook together into a roux, and that paste thickens the milk. Land O’Lakes unsalted keeps the salt in my hands. Salted butter is fine. Cut the added salt to ¾ teaspoon.

4 tablespoons (32 g) all-purpose flour: The starch swells in hot milk and holds the cheese in a smooth sauce. King Arthur is my flour. Spoon it into the measure and level it, since scooped flour packs down and turns the roux pasty.

4 cups (950 ml) whole milk: Milk fat gives the thin sauce enough body to coat the pasta after baking. Organic Valley is my carton. Pull it from the fridge 20 minutes early so the roux does not clump on cold liquid. Two percent milk works in a pinch, but the sauce turns thinner and less rich.

1 tablespoon kosher salt, for the pasta water: The water should taste like mild broth, since this is the only chance to season the macaroni itself. I use Diamond Crystal. Morton kosher is denser, so use about 1½ teaspoons of that.

1 scant teaspoon fine sea salt: The milk and flour carry no salt of their own, so the sauce depends on this. Morton fine sea salt dissolves in seconds. Add it after the cheese, since the cheeses arrive salted already.

¼ teaspoon black pepper: Pepper adds a dry warmth behind the cheese. I grind it fresh in a Peugeot mill on the coarse setting, because pre-ground dust fades in a milk sauce.

A scant ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg: This is the old béchamel trick. Nutmeg rounds out the milk without tasting like a spice. My first pan got a heavy hand and tasted like eggnog. A Microplane keeps the dose light.

½ teaspoon smoked paprika: This copies the faint smoke I noticed on my tray. La Chinata sweet smoked paprika adds it without adding heat. Regular paprika works in place of it, but the smoke disappears.

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper: A pinch mimics the trace of heat under the salt. It is too small to read as spicy, yet it sharpens the cheddar. McCormick is what I keep. Skip it for young kids.

Kitchen Equipment You’ll Need

1. Large pot: boils the macaroni
2. 5-quart Dutch oven: sauce plus pasta fit
3. Balloon whisk: smooths the roux
4. Box grater: shreds cold blocks
5. Colander: drains the pasta
6. 12-inch round baking dish: two inches deep

How to Make Dave’s Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese

1. Grate the Cheese: Grate the cheddar, Gruyère, and mozzarella straight from the fridge into one large bowl. Cold blocks shred cleanly, while warm cheese smears on the grater and clumps in the sauce later.

You should end up with about 2½ cups of loose, fluffy shreds. Toss them with your fingers so the three cheeses mix evenly.

2. Heat the Oven and Water: Heat the oven to 360°F (180°C). Fill a large pot with water, stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and set it on high heat. Leave it to boil while the sauce starts. Big bubbles breaking over the whole surface mean the water is ready for pasta.

3. Cook the Roux: Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisking without pause. The paste should look like pale sand and smell like warm shortbread. One test, I stepped away for a text and the roux browned. The sauce tasted toasty, so I started over.

4. Add the Milk: Pour in the milk in four or five splashes, whisking smooth after each. Add the macaroni to the boiling water. Cook both for 6 minutes, until the sauce lightly coats the whisk. Drain the macaroni.

The sauce looks thin, close to heavy cream, and that is correct. Lumps mean the milk went in too fast. Take the pot off the heat and whisk hard for a minute.

5. Melt in the Cheese: Turn the heat to low. Lift out a quarter of the cheese for the top. Whisk in the rest by the handful, then stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, paprika, and cayenne. The sauce should slide off the whisk in a thick ribbon. Taste it. It should read slightly too salty, since the pasta will dilute it.

6. Fold in the Pasta: Tip the drained macaroni into the sauce and fold with a spatula until every tube is coated. The mix looks loose and almost soupy. That extra sauce is what the pasta drinks during the bake, so do not thicken it further.

7. Top and Bake: Scrape everything into the 12-inch dish. Scatter the reserved cheese over the top. Bake for 22 minutes, until the edges bubble and the top turns deep gold. Rest the pan 8 minutes before scooping. I once served it straight from the oven, and the scoop slumped into soup.

Stovetop and Air Fryer Cooking Methods

For a stovetop batch, skip the oven and the rest. Stir all the cheese into the sauce, fold in the pasta, and serve hot. That saves about 30 minutes but gives no crust. Cook the sauce 2 minutes longer, because the oven will not thicken it for you.

An air fryer suits a half batch or reheated portions. Fill a 7-inch oven-safe dish that fits the basket. Cover it loosely with foil and cook at 350°F (175°C) for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 to 5 minutes more, until the top browns.

Both swaps trade the full-size crust for speed or a smaller batch. The sauce itself stays the same in each.

Expert Tips for Dave’s Hot Chicken Mac And Cheese

Grainy Sauce: The cheese went in over a boil. Off the heat, whisk in 2 tablespoons of warm milk. It usually smooths within a minute.

Shiny Oil Puddle: A slick means the sauce split in the oven. Blot it with a paper towel, then stir in a splash of warm milk.

Stiff, Dry Pan: The pasta soaked up every drop. Stir in ⅓ cup warm milk before serving, and cover the dish with foil for the first 12 minutes next time.

Bland Pasta: Unsalted boil water leaves bare tubes inside the sauce. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon fine salt over the pan and fold once.

Pale Top: A weak oven leaves the cheese lid blond. Slide the dish under the broiler for 90 seconds and watch closely.

Runny Center: Sauce still pooling after the rest means it was under-thickened. Return the pan to the oven for 8 minutes.

How I Customize This Dave’s Hot Chicken Mac And Cheese

Jalapeño Kick: Fold 3 tablespoons of chopped pickled jalapeños in with the pasta. The brine cuts through the cheese and adds a sharp tang. I serve it next to Hot Tenders.

Smoked Turkey and Chive: Dice and pan-crisp 4 oz smoked turkey sausage, then scatter it over the top before baking with 2 tablespoons of chives after. It adds a smoky, salty layer. It suits football Sundays.

Pepper Jack Swap: Replace the mozzarella with pepper jack. The sauce picks up a slow, green-pepper burn. My sister-in-law, who skips mac at potlucks, took seconds.

Panko Lid: Mix ½ cup panko with 1 tablespoon melted butter and scatter it with the top cheese. The crumbs fry into a crunchy layer. I use it when the pan sits on a buffet.

Hot Honey Drizzle: Spoon 1 teaspoon of hot honey over each portion. The sweetness plays against the salty cheese. It pairs well with No Spice tenders.

Buffalo Chicken Pile: Toss shredded leftover tenders in 2 tablespoons of buffalo sauce and heap them on top. It turns the pan into a full dinner.

What to Serve With Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese

Fried chicken with a dry, peppery rub is the obvious partner. Crisp tenders or a hot chicken sandwich both work, since the mac cools each bite of heat. Pickle chips add a sharp, vinegary bite.

A vinegar slaw cuts through the cheese with acid. Kale or plain green cabbage both hold up. Cold sweet tea or lemonade rinses the mouth between forkfuls.

Plain white bread slices, the way the chain serves its tenders, soak up any sauce left in the dish. Butter-toasted Texas toast does the same job with more crunch.

My full plate is simple. Two Medium-style tenders, a scoop of mac, a heap of slaw, and three pickle chips. A jar of tea sits beside it. The mac lands in the middle, and I eat it between bites of chicken.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Let the pan cool on the counter for 30 minutes, then pack it into shallow containers so the center chills fast. Leftovers keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Write the date on the lid.

Cold mac turns firm because the starch in the sauce sets. It also keeps soaking up liquid while it sits. Reheat a portion in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of milk per cup, stirring over low heat for about 4 minutes.

The microwave works too. Cover the bowl, add a splash of milk, and heat at 70 percent power for 90 seconds. Stir, then heat 30 seconds more.

A whole pan reheats best in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 20 minutes. Add ¼ cup milk and cover with foil. Uncover for the last 5 minutes so the cheese lid crisps again.

Creative Ways to Use Leftover Mac and Cheese

Plan to use leftover mac within 3 days, while the pasta still holds its shape. A cold, firm mac is ideal for the two ideas below.

Mac bites: Roll cold mac into 2-tablespoon balls and freeze them for 15 minutes. Dip in beaten egg, then panko. Fry in 350°F (175°C) oil for about 3 minutes, until deep gold.

Grilled mac sandwich: Spread cold mac between two buttered slices of sourdough. Griddle over medium-low heat, 3 minutes per side, until the cheese oozes at the edges.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Can You Make It Spicier?

Whisk 1 teaspoon of Frank’s RedHot into the finished sauce, or raise the cayenne to ¼ teaspoon. Taste the sauce before folding in the pasta, then adjust in small pinches.

2. Can You Leave Out the Nutmeg?

Yes. The sauce loses a faint, warm background note but stays creamy. Few people notice the gap, and it matters far less than melting the cheese smoothly.

3. How Long Can Mac and Cheese Sit Out?

Keep it covered in a 200°F (95°C) oven for up to 1 hour. Refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours of leaving the oven.

4. Can You Make It With Only Cheddar?

Yes. Use 2½ cups (285 g) sharp cheddar. The pan tastes plainer and stretches less, so keep a little mozzarella for the pull.

5. Can You Bake It in a Cast-Iron Skillet?

Yes. A 12-inch skillet with 2-inch sides holds the whole batch. Cast iron holds heat, so start checking the edges at 18 minutes.

The best spoonful comes from the corner of the dish, where the cheese lid is fried crisp against the edge and the center stays loose. That contrast comes from a thin sauce, three cheeses, and an 8-minute rest.

Serve the pan warm beside hot tenders, with a spoon of pickle-brine slaw nearby to reset the palate between bites.