Buffalo Chicken Pasta: Creamy cheesy pasta with spicy buffalo chicken. Your favorite party dip turned into an easy 30 minute meal!
I love quick and easy chicken dinners like buffalo chicken mac and cheese, and potato chip chicken. We are going crazy over buffalo chicken pasta in this house. It is filled with all our favorites: chicken, pasta and hot sauce. This recipe brings all the flavors of spicy chicken dip to your dinner table baked up in just 20 minutes! This recipe for cheesy buffalo chicken pasta bake is so good, your family will beg for it every week!
It is also great for potlucks,and watching sports!
Ingredient Notes
- Penne Pasta: Other shapes can be substituted too (See frequently asked questions below).
- Cream Cheese: Makes it so rich and creamy!
- Ranch Dressing: My favorite wing dip! You could also use blue cheese if your family prefers.
- Hot Sauce: Use your favorite here. I usually use Franks Red Hot.
- Cooked Chicken: Grilled or poached chicken will work, but my go to is a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
- Cheeses: I used mozzarella and cheddar.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Cook Pasta: Cook your pasta according to the package directions.
- Make the Sauce: Combine cream cheese, ranch, hot sauce, and ½ cup of mozzarella. Fold in chicken, and pasta.
- Topping: Top with remaining cheeses and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Garnish: Garnish with green onions if desired.
Can You Freeze It?
Buffalo Chicken pasta is a great freezer meal. Follow the recipe up until the step where it goes in the oven. At this point, you can wrap the casserole well with plastic wrap and then cover it with foil. You could also store it in an air tight container instead. When you are ready to thaw and bake the pasta, take it out of the freezer and store in the fridge overnight. Once thawed, follow the baking instructions. You can also freeze this pasta after it has been cooked. You will want to have a little extra sauce when you reheat this pasta bake back up because the noodles may suck up the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can You Use Other Noodle Shapes? Yes, you can. I like using penne because it holds the sauce well. You could also use rotini, cavatappi, or rigatoni. I would avoid thin pastas like spaghetti.
- Can You Double It?I love when I can cook once and eat twice. You can always double the recipe. Make one for dinner and make one for the freezer. This recipe is perfect for a freezer meal. It is also great for feeding large groups of people at a church supper, or sporting event.
Serve With
I like to serve this dish with buttered bread and a tossed salad. Other sides that would be yummy are
Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Penne Pasta
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese Softened
- ¾ Cup Ranch Dressing
- ⅓ Cup Hot Sauce
- 2 Cups Cooked Chicken Shredded
- 1 ½ Cups Mozzarella Cheese Shredded and Divided
- ½ Cup Cheddar Cheese Shredded
- Green Onions, For Garnish If Desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking pan with non stick cooking spray.
- Cook penne according to box directions.
- Combine cream cheese, hot sauce, ranch, and ½ cup of mozzarella. Fold in pasta and chicken. Spread into prepared pan.
- Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly.
- Garnish with chives and drizzle with ranch if desired.
Pinned to lunch/dinner and office lunch since it seems to be one of those dishes perfect to take to work, if any leftovers 🙂
This looks super tasty!! I can’t wait to give it a try! Delicious 🙂
A new favorite meal in our house! Such a huge hit!
I’ll take this dinner any day of the week. Such a good way to use up all the chicken I have in the fridge.
I make this on a regular occasion!
Love everything about this dish! I always top it with some ranch dressing
Such a great recipe! My family loves it!
This was such an easy recipe and it turned out perfectly! Thank you!
My husband LOVES Buffalo chicken dip, so this recipe is perfect for us! Most of the ingredients are kitchen staples—can’t beat that!!