Get my Cookbooks! Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
This Creamy Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe has savory pasta smothered in a flavorful cheese sauce with juicy bites of chicken and hints of blue cheese. It’s a flavor explosion!
Be sure to try my Buffalo Chicken Pizza next!
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
I am pretty choosy when it comes to which recipes land on my favorites list, but this one definitely gets a top spot without hesitation! Once you try this once, I know it’s going to become a regular in your house too. The flavors are absolutely perfect- it’s tangy, savory, and has just the right amount of kick to it.
What Makes It So Good
- Shredded chicken is marinated in blue cheese dressing, which makes you really enjoy the chicken in this meal. It’s not bland or dry; instead it’s flavorful and juicy.
- The cheddar cheese brings out that classic mac and cheese flavor that we love, and the cream cheese adds a nice creamy offset to the buffalo sauce and hot sauce.
- Mustard Powder and Tomato Paste add the best depth of flavor and can’t be detected outright, they just enhance the other flavors in this recipe.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Gently boil the chicken in water until cooked through. Use 2 forks to shred it. Toss it in blue cheese dressing and set aside. (Pro Tip: A gentle boil ensures the chicken stays juicy and doesn’t get tough.)
Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato paste. Add the heavy cream and milk in splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low.
Add the buffalo sauce, hot sauce, mustard powder, onion powder, and salt/pepper. Gradually sprinkle in the cheddar cheese and stir in the cream cheese. Add the chicken back.
Add cooked/drained pasta and stir to incorporate. Serve!
Pro Tips
- Shred the cheese from a block for this recipe, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow cheese for this recipe.
- Other Brands used include: Prince Cavatappi, Frank’s Buffalo Sauce and Hot Sauce, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and Marie’s Blue Cheese Dressing.
- Ranch dressing can be used instead of blue cheese in this recipe if preferred.
- The mustard powder and tomato paste are great flavor enhancers in this recipe and I highly recommend them.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Leftovers do freeze/reheat pretty well!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 3.5 quart Dutch oven– This is a great size for this recipe.
- Box Cheese Grater– Always shred from a block, especially for cheese sauces.
- Pinch Bowls– For measuring out the seasonings ahead of time.
Try These Next
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- Chicken Enchilada Soup
-
- Chicken Enchiladas
-
- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
-
- Chicken Mac and Cheese
-
- Cajun Chicken
-
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast, see notes
- 1/3 cup blue cheese dressing
- 8 oz. cavatappi pasta, or macaroni
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon each: salt/pepper
- 1 ¼ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
Instructions
- Pro Tip: Measure out ingredients while the chicken cooks. Place the heavy cream, milk, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese near the stove to bring them down closer to room temperature.
Gently Boil/Shred the Chicken:
- Submerge the chicken in a pot of water and gradually bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. (A gentle boil ensures the chicken stays juicy and doesn't get tough.)
- Remove the chicken and use 2 forks to shred it. Toss with blue cheese dressing and set aside.
- Pro Tip: Add 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water to add more flavor to the chicken.
Cook the Pasta and Make the Sauce
- Begin boiling salted water in a large pot while you start the sauce. Once a boil is reached, add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. (Don’t overcook.) Drain and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the flour and stir continuously for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate, you’ll be left with a thick paste.
- Add the heavy cream and milk in small splashes, stirring continuously. Doing this slowly ensures that the sauce stays thick.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Add the buffalo sauce, hot sauce, mustard powder, onion powder, and salt/pepper.
- Gradually sprinkle in the cheddar cheese and cream cheese, stirring continuously.
- Stir in the shredded chicken, then add the drained pasta. Use a silicone spatula to gently stir to combine. Serve!
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Shred the cheese from a block for this recipe, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow cheese for this recipe.
- Other Brands used include: Prince Cavatappi, Frank's Buffalo Sauce and Hot Sauce, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing.
- Ranch dressing can be used instead of blue cheese in this recipe if preferred.
- The mustard powder and tomato paste are great flavor enhancers in this recipe and I highly recommend them.
I made this for my family, doubling the recipe so that we’d have leftovers. I cooked the chicken in the instant pot with a little chicken broth, bay leaf, celery stalks, onion chunks and smashed garlic. Once the chicken was done, I strained the broth and saved it, using some to moisten the chicken after shredding it, and again to thin the finished buffalo cheese sauce when I reheated it the next day. It gave fabulous flavor to the dish! Overall, everyone loved it, and I’m making it for the lacrosse team’s dinner next week!
Wow I like your style Kathy, great advice!🙌 I’m so happy everyone loved it, I can’t wait for the lacrosse team to try it! Thanks so much for the great review!
Could you use white cheddar cheese to make this?
Hi Michelle! I haven’t tested this with white cheddar, but I bet it would be good! 🙂
Just made several batches of this for postpartum freezer meals (what I sampled was delicious!) – is there a temp, time, covered/uncovered that you would recommend for reheating once defrosted?
Hi Tara! I’m so glad that you liked the sample that you tasted! 😉 Once defrosted I would cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so, the amount of time depends on how much you’re reheating but hopefully that provides a general guideline!
Scrumptious exactly as written…
Yayyy! I’m so happy to hear that Rick, thanks so much for the great review!❤️
I love this buffalo style macaroni and cheese recipe. I’ll make this for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Yayyy! I’m so happy to hear that Michael! My family has recently become obsessed with this one. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
Tasty I will make it again. I served sour cream along side as some of my family found it too hot.
Thanks so much for the great review Vicki!😃
Delicious!
Yayyy! I’m so happy to hear that Michelle. This is my family’s new favorite mac and cheese!❤️
Had this Friday night, everyone loved it. Was soo yummy
I am so happy to hear that Piper! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review as well, I really appreciate that! 🙂
OMG!! This is so delicious!! Super easy to make…I used rotisserie chx that was already shredded. Followed recipe exactly. Thanks for the yummy recipe. 💙
YAYYY! I am sooo happy to hear that Emily, you are the BEST! THANK YOU so much for taking the time to leave a review, I appreciate it so much! 🙂 Have a great rest of your week! -Stephanie
This Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe truly appealed to everyone in my family. The best thing about it is that I know the ingredients are fresh and minimally processed as compared to any boxed version of mac and cheese. The flavor really surprised me-especially with those “flavor enhancers” –as you say. You can’t taste the individual ingredients AT ALL but the combination is amazing! My kids LOVED it (which I expected); but my husband and sister did as well and they have a more mature palate so I didn’t know how it would go over. I will be making this on a regular basis for sure going forward. Everyone RAVED!!!! Nice work on this one, Cozy Cook!!!!
I’m so happy to hear such great comments Lorraine! When I learned how to use flavor enhancers I think it really elevated my cooking skills 😃! Thanks for your support and for taking the time to leave a review!
I’ve made a lot of your recipes Stephanie but this one is a new family favorite! Even my picky daughter (8yrs) loved it. I pretty much followed the recipe exact. I used Ken’s Blue Cheese since that’s all I had and it worked out fine. Thanks so much!
I’m so happy your picky 8 year old loved it Crystal! Isn’t that the best feeling!? Thanks so much for your support, I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!❤️