Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

My buffalo chicken mac and cheese recipe is perfectly creamy and full of flavor. It’s one the best comfort foods around and with a super quick and easy recipe like this, you can’t go wrong!

My husband and I love macaroni and cheese and I mean we truly love it. There is nothing like a hearty meal, especially during colder seasons. We love to spice it up in different ways.

One of those ways (and my personal favorite way) to eat macaroni and cheese is with the addition of chicken, some buffalo wing hot sauce and blue cheese crumbles.

It’s a combination of my mom’s classic homemade mac and cheese and delicious buffalo chicken inspired by a visit to NYC and the restaurant S’mac over a decade ago where we had it for the first time.

It’s truly one of my favorite comfort foods.

This easy recipe is quick to make because while the chicken and pasta are cooking on the stove, you can prepare the sauce in the microwave by slowly mixing together a few ingredients.

Quick aside, I love having our meat delivered from Perdue! It seriously makes life so much easier.

Ingredients/What to Buy

I love that you just need a handful of ingredients to make this yummy comfort food and most of them are pantry staples! I love a strong cheese flavor but you can really customize this recipe based on your preferences.

You will need:

• Pasta of your choice (this is Fusili, but feel free to grab your favorite pasta shape)
• Extra sharp cheddar cheese (or your favorite shredded cheeses)
• Milk
• Butter
• All-Purpose flour
• Salt
• Chicken breast
• Franks Original Buffalo sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
• Blue cheese crumbles, optional topping
• Green onions

How to Make Spicy Buffalo Chicken Mac

Start by boiling your water in a large pot on high heat. Once the water is boiling, add a pinch of salt and your pasta. Reduce to medium heat and cook until pasta is al dente or your preferred consistency if you like it a little more done.

While the pasta water is heating, prepare the cheese sauce. To do this, stir together the milk, flour, butter, cheese, and salt in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes.

Stir the melted butter and cheese together with the flour and and microwave again for another 4 minutes. Stir that deliciously cheesy sauce until well combined and set aside.

It’s ok to add a minute or two in the microwave if needed but you don’t want it to overheat.

For the meat, you can use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken to save time. Or, take diced raw chicken breast and cook it on the stove in a large skillet.

Add a little olive oil or butter to the skillet with chicken pieces and cook until done over medium-high heat, turning often.

Pour 1/4 cup of spicy buffalo sauce into the pan and remove from heat. If it is too spicy, simply melt butter into the sauce to lighten the taste.

Stir in the cheese sauce into the cooked pasta and top with buffalo chicken and other optional toppings like bleu cheese crumbles, ranch dressing, or green onions.

Print the Recipe

Buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food! There’s just something about the combination of cooked pasta, creamy cheese sauce and the unmistakable flavor of buffalo chicken wings that melts in your mouth.

Whether you serve this as a side dish I or as a complete meal, I hope you love it!

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Andrea Updyke

Wait until you try this Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe. Such a delicious comfort food and great for feeding a crowd too!

4.55 from 22 votes

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Print Recipe

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 529 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb pasta of your choice I used Fusilli
• 2 cups or more extra sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb chicken breast
• 1/4 cup Franks Original Buffalo sauce
• 8 Tbsp Blue Cheese Crumbles optional topping

Instructions

 

• Boil water and add pasta when boiling (reduce heat)
• While water is heating, prepare the cheese sauce by combining the milk, flour, butter, cheese, and salt in a microwave safe bowl.
• Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir sauce and microwave on high for another 4 minutes.
• Cook chicken in a small amount of olive oil or butter until cooked through.
• Add 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce and remove from heat.
• Once pasta is done, stir in the cheese sauce and buffalo chicken.
• Top with Bleu cheese crumbles (if desired) and enjoy!

Notes

The great thing about this meal is that you add the buffalo chicken to regular mac and cheese so if your kids want it the traditional way, everyone is happy!

Nutrition

Calories: 529kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 32gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gSodium: 966mgSugar: 2g

Nutrition information is estimated. For the most accurate info, always doublecheck with your ingredients.

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