Obsessed with Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Not long ago, I posted buffalo chicken burgers and last week we had buffalo wings and now this?  We are obsessed.  Andrew wanted buffalo chicken burgers again but I wanted to make something with pasta.  As a compromise, I came up with this recipe.  For the meatballs I just followed my recipe for the buffalo chicken burgers but shaped into meatball shapes...well, duh.  The bleu cheese cream sauce was AMAZING.  Please give this one a try you will not be disappointed!

The Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken (or 1 lb ground chicken and 1 lb ground turkey)

1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp grill seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/4c buffalo wing sauce ( I use Franks)
1 c panko bread crumbs

2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp grill seasoning
1 tsp Lawry's Season salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 c white wine
1 c chicken stock
1/4 c buffalo wing sauce
1 c heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp good bleu cheese (add more if you love bleu cheese; taste as you go)
1 package pasta (shells or penne)

The method:
PreHeat oven to 425 degrees
Place chicken/turkey and next 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss and mix gently until ingredients are combined. Don't over mix or squeeze or the meatballs will be tough. Divide into equal portions and shape into meatballs. They will be sticky so wet your hands in between each one and have a sheet pan lined with foil ready to put them on. Chill for at least one hour to firm up before baking.

Tip:  Add all ingredients to the bowl first and mix. Then add chicken/turkey and panko. Less mixing means tender meatballs.

The Method Continued:

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Cook just until firm or al dente.  Do not overcook. Drain and save 2 ladles of pasta cooking water.

To a large saucepan, add the olive oil and heat over medium.  Add the carrots, celery and onions to the pan and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes until well caramelized.  Add the garlic, grill seasoning, Lawry's and pepper. 

This is what the vegetable should look like before and after.

After the vegetables are caramelized, add the white wine,  Bring to a boil and reduce by half.  Next add the chicken stock and buffalo wing sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Reduce heat and add the cream and butter. Cook for another 3 minutes.  Add the blue cheese.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.   Add the pasta and mix to combine, about 1-2 minutes.  If the sauce is too thick add 1-2 ladles of the pasta water.  Serve immediately with the meatballs and extra buffalo sauce.