Marinate the chicken

• In a bowl, combine the buttermilk, hot sauce, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne.
• Add the chicken tenders, coat well and let marinate.

Prepare the dry and wet coatings

• In a bowl, mix the flour with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne.
• In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk with hot sauce, salt and black pepper.

Fry the tenders

• Heat the frying oil in a pan over medium heat.
• Dip each tender in the wet coating, then in the dry coating, pressing so it sticks.
• Fry the tenders until golden and cooked through, then drain.

Make the hot honey glaze

• Melt the butter and stir in the hot sauce and honey until smooth.

Start the cheese sauce

• Melt the butter in a saucepan over low-medium heat and cook the minced garlic briefly.
• Stir in the flour and cook for a moment, then pour in the heavy cream.
• Add the cream cheese, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and hot sauce, and whisk until smooth.

Melt in the cheeses

• Add the cheddar, Colby Jack and mozzarella and stir over low-medium heat until fully melted.
• Loosen the sauce with the pasta water until creamy.

Combine with the macaroni

• Add the cooked elbow macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix well.
• Transfer to a baking dish.

Bake and broil

• Bake at 180 °C (350 °F) until bubbling and golden.
• Broil on low for 1 min to brown the top.

Serve

• Coat the fried tenders in the hot honey glaze.
• Serve the tenders over the mac and cheese.